Spread My Wings and Fly
by AlwaysUnrivaled
Summary: Elyse just wants to get out of town, and find an adventure. Yet, adventure finds her when strange kids show up. She can't help but snoop, and finds herself thrown into the dangerous chaos. She knows they have a secret, and even worse, she falls in love.
1. day 0

The minute I saw him, I knew he was different. It wasn't just because he was the first blind guy I had ever met. Okay, that's like, half the reason. Still, that's not the only reason. He was different because of the way he held himself. I could tell he had been through something rough, yet he was still goofy. I don't know how I knew it, but I did.

I just didn't know how different he really was.

I was sitting in math class, dozing off when the teacher snapped my name.

"Elyse!" she cried. Mrs. Evans was a short and stout woman, with unattractive brown eyes. She had gray hair, and looked like an evil grandmother who would burn cookies on purpose. Talk about cruel!

"The answer is 13," I sighed, looking at the problem on the board. Easy.

Mrs. Evans clicked her tongue, the way she does when she's disappointed that I got it right. Right after this happens, the classroom door opens and a new student walks in. The first thing I noticed was that he was ridiculously, unnaturally tall. It was embarrassing for me. I was already the shortest, tiniest sophomore; I didn't need a stupid boy to rub it in. He had strawberry blonde hair that swept over his eyes, which was the new fad nowadays. Joy.

The boy held out a yellow sheet, and the teacher had to walk over and grab it. She read over the sheet, and then looked up at the boy, and then back at the sheet again. She acted like something was wrong here. I watched them curiously.

"Everyone, please welcome Iggy," Mrs. Evans said, "Here, I will help you to your desk."

I frowned, looking over Iggy again. He didn't look mentally challenged. In fact, he looked a bit dangerous. Mrs. Evans led him over to the empty desk to mine.

"Elyse will tell you what's on the board," she said, and went back to the front of the classroom. Okay, weird.

"Hi, I'm Elyse," I introduced myself, holding out my hand. Iggy looked my way, but didn't shake my hand. In fact, he didn't even meet my eyes. That's when I saw his eyes, for the first time really. They were the palest blue I had ever seen. "So, um…the board says-"

"Do you know how to build a bomb using a curling iron, hairspray and nail polish?" Iggy suddenly asked.

I was startled, but I answered honestly, "Well yeah, if you 2/3 nailpolish and 1/3 hairspray, and set the curling iron on exactly 130 degrees, and then-"

"Ever tried it?" he asked.

"Nope, and don't plan to," I replied. Okay, I'm not a goody-two-shoe, but I try to stay away from bombs. You know; things that kill people. I felt uncomfortable by being off topic while the teacher wrote on the board. "So, the board says-" I said it a bit louder than usual.

"I'm blind, not deaf," Iggy said, sarcastically.

"You're blind?" I gasped, unsure of what to say. I had never met a blind person before, let alone talked to one.

"Blind means that I can't see," Iggy said, with a smirk on his face. Now, he thought I was stupid. Great.

"I know what it means," I didn't snarl it, or hiss it. I simply said it.

So, that started our crazy friendship.

My name is Elyse, and this is the story about how I met a very special boy. He took me on special adventures. This boy was mysterious, goofy, dangerous, and most of all, perfect.

This is a story about love, friendship and what people will do to save the ones they love. This is also the story about choosing between family, and the one you really, really love.

This is also a story about you. This story involves the whole world. This story involves the human existence. The only reason you are alive to read this is because of this boy.

I hope this story makes you laugh, cry, and make you realize what is really important.


	2. Day one

**When does this story take place? Well, I'm going to say before Final Warning. This is when they are just laying low and trying to fit in. I know, it's not in the books. This is kind of like during a time that I made up. So, Elyse is probably the most complicated character I have ever written. I spent all of Civics class writing her up, trying to fit her into a stereotype. She doesn't fit in a stereotype, and I think that's why she's my favorite character to write. She's a bit of everything! I hope you guys like this chapter! Thanks for the reviews so far! It'd be amazing if you could keep the reviews up! **

-**day one**

Turned out, Iggy had every single class with me. Every single class, every single day.

After math class, I led him to English 2. He was pretty much screwed for this class.

"So, where do you come from?" I asked as pushed our way through the crowded school.

"Louisiana," he said, not really thinking about it.

"Ah, I hear it's hot there," I said. "Do you have any siblings?" I asked. If I was stuck with him all day, I might as well get to know him.

"Yeah, er, 2 younger, 2 older," Iggy answered, looking around the room. Of course, he couldn't see anything. I wondered what it would be like to be blind. Just to see black. All the time.

"Big family," I commented. "Do you dream?"

"What?" Iggy looked semi-shocked by the question. Oh come on, he was blind. People had to ask him that all the time.

"Since you are blind, can you close your eyes and see things? Like…do you dream?" I asked, suddenly feeling awkward about asking the question. I didn't know I would have to explain things.

"Yeah," he replied, "I see lots of things when I close my eyes. I wasn't born blind."

"How did you become blind?"

Iggy didn't tense up. He didn't get sad. He just smirked and said, "I guess I should just tell you to not play with bombs at a young age." He couldn't possibly be blind because of a bomb exploding! I watched him, in wonder. Wow.

After 2nd period, we went to lunch.

"I can help with your tray," I offered as we got in the lunch line.

"I can do that myself, I'm not helpless," he wasn't defensive about it. He had a smile on his face, like he was happy that he was better than me. So, this blind kid was competitive.

"Hey, Iggy, how are your classes?" a brunette approached him. She was medium height, incredibly skinny, and had mushy brown eyes. I wondered how Iggy already had friends…I mean; he had spent every second at school with me.

Unless, you know, he was magic. He could magically make friends. Now that would be cool. Iggy chatted to her for a moment, and I caught something about a stink bomb, and cheating.

I tuned out when a few friends came up to me and asked about the school newspaper. Right, I had a meeting after school. They left, and I turned back to Iggy. There was another person with him and the girl. This boy was fairly tall and skinny too. He had dark, handsome features. Okay, it's official. Iggy could magically make friends. In the lunch line, no less.

"Who are you?" I bluntly asked the two.

"This is my sister Max," Iggy pointed to the girl, "and my brother Fang." The first thing that hit me was that they couldn't possibly be related. They didn't have a single thing in common, except for the thin body build. The similarities started and ended there. Max had this bossy thing to her. She hadn't spoken a word yet, but the way she held herself told me all I needed to know. Fang didn't say a word either, and this was because he was either shy or just stuck-up.

Then, I accidentally said the second thought out loud. "Were your parents on drugs when they named you?" I instantly clamped my hand over my mouth. "I'm kidding, I didn't mean that. Although…" I faded off. A girl named Max? Two boys named Fang and Iggy? Fang and Iggy were dog names, and Max was a male name. Their parents must have had their genders and species mixed up. I immediately changed the subject. "So, you guys come from a hot place, huh?" What can I say, I'm obsessed with weather. I've been stuck in this small town my whole life, and had the same old weather every single day. I liked hearing about different weather and different places.

"The heat in Texas is killer," Max agreed. I nodded, because I heard that a lot. Texas was known for their…._wait, what? _

"Texas? I thought you guys were from Louisiana," I stated, trying to figure out what was going on here. I mean, who lies about where they came from?

"We lived in Texas after Louisiana. We loved Louisiana so much, and hated Texas, so we just say we are from Louisiana. I would have thought Iggy would tell you that," Max was glaring at Iggy, and he was smirking back. Talk about secret code!

"Hey, I'm going to go, I have to go help Gazzy with a stink bomb over at the middle school," Iggy said, after the lunch lady served him the mystery meat.

"Hi Linda," I greeted the lunch lady as she put a slice of mystery meat on my plate. "Still don't believe in normal pizza and tater tots, do you?"

Linda smiled, "You got that right, sweetheart."

"Iggy, it's your first day. Wait a few days before you get expelled. I'll kill you if you get expelled today," Max sighed, as if she was his mother.

"Wouldn't your parents be pissed if you got expelled?" I wondered. My parents would murder me!

"Uh, yeah," Iggy said.

I said goodbye to them, and went to sit with my friends.

After lunch, Iggy didn't sit anywhere near me. After school, he left immediately.

So, that's the first day I knew Iggy. That's probably the only normal day I ever experienced while knowing Iggy.

Because things were going to start to get weird.


	3. Day Two

** So, in this chapter, we have some using, and the start of a plot(: Of course, there will be future action, but this is just building up the relationship for Iggy and Elyse! If I get reviews, I will be able to write a lot in study hall tomorrow, so please, do review! Tell me what you think! Tell me if I'm writing Iggy alright, and if you like Elyse! **

I got home, just to hear the usual.

"Why can't you just pay the bills yourself?" my mother screamed as my dad shook his head. He had a beer bottle in his right hand and a cigarette in his left hand. My mother, father, my snake Ronny and I lived in a comfortable home, just a five minute walk away from school.

I slipped upstairs, just in time to hear the sound of a shattering beer bottle, and my mother crying. I closed my bedroom door, and thankfully, it shut out all sound. I had a modest bedroom, with a king sized bed, and a desk, along with a beanbag. I had a few dressers and a walk in closet. Funny how I had all this stuff, but it felt like I had nothing at all.

I did my homework, and then watched an episode of Glee. Then I went to sleep, and woke up, ready for day two.

Okay, that's a lie. I was not ready for day two. No one was ready for it.

I had to get to school an hour early for a student council meeting, and then stop by the computer lab for yearbook. I was already tired by the time I got to World History. Iggy was already sitting in his seat, drumming his fingers against his desk. He had a smirk on his face.

"Planning your next bomb?" I teased, "I heard that applesauce, olive oil, and-"

"Marshmallows," Iggy finished for me. "That's old news. You really don't know anything." I glared at him. Hey, I'm a competitive person, and I don't like hearing about how I don't know anything. I would prove him wrong if I could do anything without getting in trouble.

"It's Elyse," I remembered that Iggy was blind. He couldn't see me to recognize me.

"I know. I recognized the sound of your tennis shoes. You are the only girl besides that Max that wears sensible shoes in this school. I thought about destroying all of the girl's high heels while they were in PE. Hmm…" He got lost in thought. Kids streamed into the classroom, and then the bell rung.

"So why did you move here?" I asked as Iggy followed me to English.

"My mom is a nurse, and she got transferred to Willow Falls Hospital," he answered. His mom is a nurse and Iggy is obsessed with bombs? Talk about ironic…I bet half the patients in the hospital is because of Iggy.

We went to lunch, where Iggy went to sit with Max and Fang. They seemed to be loners and not making any friends. They also seemed to be…into each other. I find that extremely gross, because they are siblings. Okay, I don't about you guys but something is really fishy about them. Iggy looks nothing like Max and Fang, and there was no way they were from Louisiana. How did I know? During English, I had a conversation that went like this…

_"What is Madi Gras like?" I asked._

_ "What's that?" he answered, looking confused._

So yep, he is so not from Louisiana. So why lie? What did they have to hide? I'm sorry, I'm a journalist. I want to be a news reporter when I'm older. I'm all about secrets, mysterious people, and anything interesting.

I live in Willow Falls, Colorado, where nothing exciting ever happens. We almost hardly ever have new students. This was a time for me to see what's going on. I was probably making this entire thing up in my head, but it was better than nothing.

I was passing their table when I heard something. They were talking in low whispers. I'm a sharp listener, so I caught a few words.

"Erasers…disappeared…safe here…can't find us," Fang was whispering. He had a surprisingly husky voice. I kept on walking, and then I sat down with my friends.

"Guys, I finally have an idea for what I want to write about on my story blog," let me explain. When I started to love writing, I started a writing blog where I would post short stories, essays, and everything else that had to do with writing. It's actually fairly popular, and almost everyone in Willow Falls checked on it every once in a while. I had a writer's block for a while. That is, until I had something to write about.

"You know what is even better?" my friend, Rachel asked. She smiled in a devilish way. "Willow Falls is having a story contest in a few months. You could just write the whole thing and send it in. The winner gets to do something really special, like publish a book or write an article for the newspaper in New York City. Can't remember."

I smiled at her, "Thanks for that, Rachel. That's perfect. I know just the story to write."

This next story would be based on a true story. All I had to do was change up the names and exaggerate a little bit. This story would be based on what I find out about Iggy. I just needed to find out Iggy's secret. He had a secret; there was no doubt about it.

I'd just have to become Iggy's best friend to find out. After all, my writing career could depend on it.

After lunch, Iggy and I had study hall, where no one studied.

"Iggy, are there crocodiles in Louisiana?" I asked him, while the teacher sat in the corner and drank her coffee. I just had to prove that Iggy wasn't from Louisiana, and I would officially be able to write a story.

"Yep, a ton of them," Iggy replied, with a smirk on his face, "I even blew up a few." Okay, was this kid joking? Judging by his face, he wasn't.

"Have you actually ever seen any?" I asked, and then clamped a hand over my mouth. Like Iggy would be able to see a crocodile! Whoops!

"Yep, I saw them every day," Iggy replied sarcastically. He didn't sound bitter at all. After Study Hall, Iggy and I had Spanish. Spanish seemed to come naturally to Iggy, but it was the one subject I struggled with.

`I said goodbye, and watched him walk over to the middle school to pick up his two younger siblings. The middle school is on the same campus as the high school, which is okay. Our town is just that small.

As I turned, I saw something slip behind the building. I could have sworn that it looked like a really furry gorilla. I was about to go check it out when my friend called my name.

So, that was day two of knowing Iggy.


	4. Day Three

**I have a half day tomorrow at school, so I could possibly update. But I also have 3 other stories to update, and I always update the story with the most feedback. So, if you want another chapter, REVIEW! Tell me what you thought about this chapter!**

DAY THREE

I woke up the next morning with a huge zit on my face. Oh, joy. Thank goodness I belonged behind a camera, and was never photographed. I wasn't the one to wear makeup, but I forced myself to put on some cover up. I walked downstairs, and surprisingly, my mother was awake. Usually, she didn't wake up until afternoon. Dad was gone at work.

"Do you have gymnastics today?" my mother asked, as she ate her bagel and read a romantic novel. Oh mother, the hopeless romantic.

"I quit gymnastics last year," I pointed out, refusing to feel hurt that she didn't remember.

"Shame, you were good at it," she replied, licking cream cheese off of her polished fingernails. "What sport are you doing now?"

"I gave up sports; I'm doing yearbook and piano now. I'm saving up money for a guitar, too," I answered, waiting for my toast to pop up.

"Why?" Mother asked in her careless tone. She didn't really care. She just loved having pointless conversations.

I didn't answer her. I didn't feel like going into how I got seriously injured last year and had never been the same at sports. It was like tearing a piece of me out, but I had to be happy with what I could still do. You know, like walk. I ate my toast, and then walked to school.

Iggy was in math class before everyone else. He was even there before me. I sat down next to him.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked casually.

Iggy smirked, "This might be my last day here. I have an evil plan for the principle."

"Don't do anything evil," I pleaded, "Mr. Right is really cool. He doesn't deserve to die so young." Alright, young wasn't the right word. Mr. Right was probably in his mid fifties, and one of the kindest guys at school. Of course, this is coming from a girl who had never been yelled at by him. I had never been in trouble with him before.

"I thought maybe you could help me. I can't make my trap close without it taking his whole ankle off," I couldn't tell if Iggy was joking or not. "No one would know that you helped me. Think of it as a science experiment."

I wasn't convinced.

"Come to my house after school, help my brother and I, and I will make you some gourmet food," Iggy offered.

"You…cook?" I asked, trying not to be rude, "You are blind."

"Blind people are all great cooks," Iggy said with a smirk, "I'm better than my sister."

"Do your parents not cook?" I asked.

Math class started, and we barely had a chance to talk until after school. Iggy never mentioned asking my parents, which surprised me. Most of the time, my friends were like, "Don't you need to call your mom and make sure?" blah, blah, blah.

They wouldn't notice I was gone.

"How far of walk is it to your house?" I asked, as we walked over to the middle school. They looked at each other and shrugged. Okay, so I guess usually they get picked up from school. We waited outside of the middle school, and then two blonde haired children walked out. They both had blue eyes and curly blonde hair. Again, neither of them looked like Iggy, Max or Fang. Although, these two children looked like sister and brother, so maybe they were blood related. Then out came another girl, with dark skin, and she was definitely not related to any of them.

Maybe they all just lived with foster parents. That made sense.

"Hey, bro, Elyse is going to help us with our prank on Principle Right tomorrow," Iggy said. He leaned over and whispered into his ear, "Is she pretty?"

"The prettiest," the little boy replied with a big smile on his face. "I'm Gazzy. That's short for Gasman."

Drugs. Their parents were officially on drugs when they named them.

"I'm Angel," the youngest girl piped up. She looked sweet and innocent. Of course, those children were always the more evil.

The black girl said, "Nudge."

Yep, drugs.

I smiled politely at them, unsure of what it would be like to have so many unrelated people in the same house.

"We are going to _walk _home today," Max said in an odd tone. The younger kids ran off, but Gazzy stayed behind to talk to me.

"Are you good with bombs?" he asked me, looking me over again. I felt like he was calculating if I was trustworthy or not. This kid looked really wise for his age.

"I'm just okay with science," I said.

"You aren't taking any science classes at school," Iggy noted, a hint of curiosity in my voice. Like, he thought I was lying about being okay at science. Wow, these people acted like I was always lying.

"I already took all the science I can for high school," I shrugged. It wasn't a big deal.

Gazzy nodded, and finally we reached their house. It was a simple two story house that was painted white. I walked in and immediately I could feel that something was wrong.

First of all, the place was a mess. It was like only kids lived here, and no adults to watch after them. The TV was blaring, and the dog was on the couch. The dog looked at me with intelligent eyes.

Creepy.

Then I noticed there were a few bird feathers on the ground. I reached down and picked up a white feather. It was soft, fluffy and really beautiful.

"Um, we had a pillow fight," Angel lied sweetly. _Believe me, we cleaned up, and we missed a few feathers, that's all, _a voice said in my head.

Creepy.

"Where are your parents?" I asked.

"Trip," Max said, matter-of-factly. "I'll cook tonight." There were instantly disagreements, and everyone claimed that Iggy would be cooking.

"Come on, let's show Elyse our lair," Gazzy said, and hopped up the stairs. He had boundless energy, and Iggy followed, not missing a step. He seemed to move freely around this house, unlike the school. He knew where everything was.

They threw open a door, and I entered a bedroom. Blankets, pillows and chairs were set up everywhere. I was going into a pillow fort, like the one my friends would build when I was 8. There were a million paper signs written in crayon that stated, "ENTER IF YOU DARE" "EXPLOSION ALERT" and several others. Is this what Iggy did when he got home?

I wasn't surprised.

I followed them into the 'lair' and what covered the ground shocked me. There was some dynamite. There were some grenades. There were several explosive ingredients.

"Where. Did. You. Get. Those?" I asked, shocked. I wasn't scared, but I was concerned. Gazzy couldn't have been any older than 8, and he should not have been exposed to all of these dangerous things. "Your parents…can't…" I didn't know what to say.

"Okay, so we have already tried," Iggy ignored me and rambled off several ingredients, "and now we have ran out of things to use…Any ideas?"

"Is it legal for you guys to have this?" I asked.

Gazzy quickly stood up and left the room. He muttered something about talking to Max.

"Where is your bathroom?" I quickly asked.

"Five steps out the door, 10 steps to the left, before the stairs, but after the closet door," Iggy said. So, that's how he remembered things. That's how he didn't run into everything. I quickly went out the door, but I didn't head for the bathroom. I slipped downstairs, where I heard Max's voice.

"Are you saying that you didn't clean up your room before she came over?" Max asked, her voice was angry and harsh. "That is so careless, Gazzy. Of course anyone with parents is going to question why you have millions of explosions. She's probably suspicious. I can't trust her…"

I frowned, trying to figure out what they were talking about. Then I heard a whimpering, and saw their dog looking at me. The dog ran out of view, and I heard Max saying, "Crap!" Okay, she didn't say that. She said something a bit more PG-13. I heard her lightly walking towards me, so I hurried back up the stairs and locked myself in the bathroom.

I heard Max open the door to Iggy's room. They had a low conversation that I couldn't hear. I flushed the toilet and walked out. All of the kids were in Iggy's room now.

"Family meeting?" I asked them, with a slight smile.

"I think you should go home," Max said, glaring at Iggy, "our mom just called, and gave us a list of chores." It was a dead lie, but I decided not to argue.

I left, knowing I had something really good to write for my story. There was definitely something wrong with them. There was something very, very strange about them. As a curious journalist, I was going to find out. No matter what.

I just had to get close to them.


	5. Day Four

**candycanelover** – I'm sorry that the end seemed repetitive! I'm just trying to show how determined and focused the character is! As for the typical thing like parent's not caring about them, and all that, there is a reason! I'm not known for typical situations, and trust me, this one isn't. There are a few reasons why this is typical-you'll find out a reason later, it's part of the plot :P and I find that a lot of people feel like their parents don't care, so this situation is most relatable(: Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!

**Whisper13**- Glad you love it, and continue reading it(:

**HeavensRiot** I like your username, and here is my update! Please continue to review(:

And thanks to anyone else who reviewed!

**Please continue to review-the more reviews I get, the more I shall write!**

DAY FOUR

"You have a weird family," I told Iggy the next morning, as I sat next to him. I was exhausted. I had barely had time to sleep because I had stayed up all night, writing the first part of my story, and doing homework. I was a straight A student and I had a difficult time to keep up with everything.

"I know," he replied with a goofy smile. "Thank you." It hadn't been a compliment, but I didn't say anything. "They like you." I wanted to argue with him, because I didn't think they liked me at all. They all acted like I was a criminal. "So, what is there to do in a small town? I'm getting pretty bored. If you don't come up with any ideas, the mayor is next on my list."

I rolled my eyes at him, but remembered he couldn't see. It was so easy to forget that he was blind. He had already memorized his way around school. He knew exactly where his desk was, where the trays were placed, and which step was broken. He now had a more careless posture.

"There aren't many limits here," I lied, "as long as you don't burn down the city or kill anyone." Honestly, this town as full of limits. It was easier to ask 'what can you do' then 'what can't you do' here. "Oh, and there is a 10 o'clock curfew for anyone under the age of 18." It was true. We had a new mayor that had come in just a few weeks ago. He had set up a ton of rules, and already, people were leaving. There were rules on property, stores and parks.

I didn't really mind. I had never been a rule breaker in the first place. The new mayor seemed friendly enough, with his gray eyes, slight smile and gentle voice. He always wore a neat, fashionable white coat and black pants.

"You are kidding," Iggy muttered, "that narrows it down."

"I have a list of town rules if you want to read-" I stopped myself and sighed, "I'm sorry Iggy, this is weird."

"You don't have many weird people in this town," Iggy shrugged it off with a smile, but his cheekbones were tense. He was troubled by something. He almost seemed to be thinking, _too normal. _

Of course, I found our town to be normal. Although, I had never been anywhere else, so I couldn't compare. Our mayor was friendly, everyone knew everyone. The librarian was friends with everyone, there were tea times, curfews and your neighbor was pretty much family.

"Did your town in Louisiana, or Texas, have any rules?" I asked, "Except for, you know, the normal laws."

"I don't know, I never paid attention to them," Iggy said.

"Paid attention to the rules or laws?" I asked, hoping he just meant rules. Iggy was a cool guy, but he did seem like the type to take it a bit too far.

"Both," Iggy smiled, and I could see ideas twisting around in his mind.

"You should really take note of the laws. I can tell that your little brother likes you. You should try to be a better influence," I wasn't trying to be bossy or demanding, but I was concerned.

Class started before anything else was said.

"Hey, do you know where the Sprinkler Control is?" Iggy asked me as we walked to our next class.

"Controls for the sprinklers for watering lawns?" I asked, trying to think hard. In our town, we didn't have control over our own sprinklers. There was a monitor, and they only turned on when everything was dry. They never went on often.

"No, Sprinklers for unicorns," Iggy replied sarcastically.

"Yes, I know where the controls are, but there are locks and everything. You won't be able to get in. Besides, why would you want to?" I paused for a second, "Never mind, I don't want to know." I did want to know. I was dying to know what his creative plan was.

Iggy smirked, "Meet me outside my house at midnight tonight, and take me to the where the controls are. I'll be able to get in, no problem."

"I'm not breaking curfew," I said, although I was tempted. I just wanted to know his plan, and if he would actually go through with it.

"You come, or I'll take Gazzy with me," Iggy knew it was going to convince me. I didn't want Iggy to influence Gazzy in a bad way, and he knew this.

I wanted to say, _I'll show you where it is after school, but you go alone tonight. _Yet, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wanted to know what he was going to do. I wanted to see it happen. I wanted to write it down and start a story out of it.

"Fine," I growled, and I kept telling myself it was for good reasons.

Iggy smiled, "I knew I could convince you."

I glared at him, but of course, he couldn't see it.

"Don't glare at me," Iggy said with a side smile. My eyes opened wide, "I can feel you glaring. I can feel your look of surprise." He smirked after he said this. My silence was proof that he was right.

During lunch, I started to argue with myself. _I can't be out so late, I have school in the morning! I have an early morning tomorrow! I can get caught and there goes my chance of college! What if there are cameras around town, and someone sees? What if Iggy plans on doing something really bad? I don't want to be caught up with that._

Of course, curiosity got the best of me. I would be meeting Iggy, barely a friend, at midnight.


	6. Day Five

**Long chapter to thank you guys for the reviews! PLEASE review!**

I tried to go to bed early and wake up at midnight. My plan didn't work. I couldn't sleep. This would be the first time that I broke the law. I could get in major trouble and I could say goodbye to college. Yet, curiosity took over my body, and I swung out of bed. I pulled on a hoodie, slipped on my flip-flops and snuck out of the house. 

I tried to stay in the shadows as I walked down the quiet road. I made my way to Iggy's house. He was sitting on the porch, a smile on his face. I hadn't stepped foot on his driveway when he said, "I knew you would come." 

"I'm angry at you right now," I stated because I knew he couldn't read my expression. "Come on."  
>Iggy followed the sound of my footsteps as we walked out of town and slipped into the forest. <p>

I heard Iggy exclaim, "Ouch!" when he rammed into a tree, "Thanks for telling me that we are in a forest." 

"We are in a forest," I stated. I should have been scared. I had always hated the deserted forest even during the day. Yet, I did not feel fear. I felt excited and anxious. We reached a small, one room building. The windows were barred and the door was chained shut. "We are here," I announced before Iggy walked into the building. 

"So this is where a monitor controls water?" he asked, touching the wall and finding the blocked windows. 

"And electricity," whoops, I probably shouldn't have said that. I didn't want to give him any ideas. I turned to look at the forest, making sure there weren't any cameras. I turned back and bit back a gasp. Iggy was on the roof. 

"Window on the top," he announced, as if being on the roof was no big deal. 

"How did you get up there?" I asked. The roof was several feet above our heads. He would have had to fly up there. Which would have been impossible. I walked around the building and sighed with relief. I could put my mind to ease. There was a rope that was dangling off of the roof. He had just climbed up.

"Come on up and help me," Iggy said. I stared at the robe and then grabbed it. Here goes nothing. I scrambled up the rope and went next to Iggy. There was a window on the top of the roof, and Iggy was trying to open it. 

"How about we break it?" Iggy suggested. 

"Might be alarm," I commented, but it was too late. Iggy punched the glass and it shattered. No alarm sounded. Iggy dropped his light body through the broken window and I hesitantly followed.  
>We landed in a dark control room. It was eerie. TV's lit the side of one wall. On the TV's were images of a house, roads and parks. They were cameras that had been put up around town. <p>

"Look, Iggy-" then I remembered he was blind. This was happening all of the time. I examined the TV's. All of the TV's images were positioned to look at quiet parks, silent roads and shops. There was one TV that caught my eye. The camera was looking right at a certain house. "There is only one camera outside a certain house...it almost looks like." I examined the windows and dark paint. "It looks like your house."

Iggy froze. He had been standing over the control panel, but he looked like he wanted to sit down. "A camera is looking at just my house? Are you sure?"

I took note of the blue flower patch, dead grass and sad sunflower. "Yes, I'm sure. Iggy, why…?" I didn't have to finish my sentence. He was wondering the exact same thing. He shook his head, like he was pushing an idea out of his mind.

"Where is the sprinkler system?" Iggy asked, his blind eyes roaming the endless colorful buttons. I walked over.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, looking at the levers.

"Make the sprinklers start at 2pm, and last until midnight," Iggy said, a smile on his face. "Then, have the town's electricity shut off at 6pm until midnight."

"I can't do my homework in the dark!" I exclaimed.

"Neither can I," Iggy joked, "There are such things as flashlights. Just help me do it." I sighed, and we took the next twenty minutes to set up the sprinkler system. We turned on the electricity routine system, and then we were able to slip out of the building's door.

I slipped back to my house, my brain oddly blank. I fell asleep, but I couldn't help but wonder why there was a camera positioned outside of Iggy's house.

When I woke up, I was glad it was a Friday. I was exhausted, and I was glad it was the weekend. I stumbled to put my clothes on, and yanked a brush through my hair. I got to school a few hours early for yearbook, and then got to class. Again, Iggy was there before anyone else.

"I feel horrible," I moaned, "We shouldn't have done anything."

"Feel guilty?" Iggy asked, a grin spreading across his face, "I know how to cure that."

"No," I immediately said, not open to any more of his ideas. "Iggy, why is there a camera outside of your house? Are you kids in trouble?"

He shook his head, "There is probably a camera outside of everyone's houses, and the camera juts flicks through all of them, slowly."

We both knew he was wrong. We just wanted to make sense of this.

During lunch, I sat my friends, but I couldn't help but keep looking over at Iggy and his siblings. They were chatting, and Iggy and Fang were having a soda drinking contest. I rolled my eyes at their immaturity. They had to be normal kids. They acted like normal kids, almost.

"Let's talk homecoming," my friend announced, placing homecoming packets in front of us. "We need a theme."

"Vampire."

"Casino night."

"Paris."

"Travelling."

"Romeo and Juliet."

Those ideas were pitched in by my friends. They all looked at me, waiting for my input. I was dazing off, which wasn't like me.

"Elyse?" Mark asked, shaking my shoulder.

I jerked up, "Sorry guys, I'll get back to you on what I think. Here, everybody write down their ideas, and we'll take a vote later on."

They all decided it was a decent idea, and so it happened. I left the table and slipped into Iggy's table. The only thing I heard was, "Gazzy is really hurt."

"What's wrong with Gazzy?" I asked as I sat down. They all jerked and looked at me. I smiled at them, hoping I wasn't intruding.

"Flu," Max said, looking down at her burrito. She hadn't touched it. "Iggy, let's go to the library. We still have time."

They got up, and I was left with Fang. It was very, very awkward.

"I'll talk to you later," Fang said, using a tone that said, 'we won't be talking again.' He got up and walked away.

After school, I was walking through the hall and turned a sharp corner. I rammed into someone.

"Sorry," Iggy said, and leaned down. He had dropped some of his books.

"It's just me," I told him quietly, leaning down to pick up a few of the books. I looked at the books. They were books on birds and their wings. _Keeping a bird alive for dummies, _one of them was called. "You have a bird?"

"Yep," Iggy said, and I handed him the books.

"Do you like birds?" I asked.

"More than anything else," he replied, and I could see the passion in his blank eyes.

"Well, I have a few birds for myself, and if you ever need advice, come to me. I love animals, and I want to be a vet when I'm older," I told him. Of course that was true. I wanted to be a vet along with a journalist, actress, musician and so much else.

"Okay," Iggy smiled and walked away.

"See you tomorrow!" I yelled and then walked home.

That night, I had to do my homework under candlelight. The electricity had 'mysteriously' gone off at 6pm. This hadn't happened in years. I just sighed and tried to focus.

I fell asleep early, due to lack of sleep the night before. I needed the sleep, more than I realized.


	7. Day SixSevenEight

**PLEASE REVIEW(: I'm sickly, so reviews will make me better(: **

The weekend came and went. I went to a neighbor's barbeque, and went to get my hair cut. I did my homework and worked on my story.

Monday came.

I woke up, hearing something whirring from downstairs. It sounded like a blender. I wondered why anyone would be making smoothies at 6am. I got out of bed, and tiredly stumbled downstairs. I got into the kitchen, and sure enough, the blender was on.

There was nothing in it.

"Dad?" I called out, because he was the only one in this family besides me who knew we owned a blender. There was no answer. I walked up to the bedroom, and quietly opened the door. The bed was unmade, but no one was in it. I went into the "man cave" and the TV was on, but it was empty as well. I went through the whole house, and even checked the backyard. I looked in the garage, and the Mercedes was still there.

_Where are my parents? _I wondered. I turned off the blender, and put it back in the cabinet. Then I stepped in something sharp. I let out a cry, and soon there was blood. I had stepped on shards of glass. There were remains of a shattered glass on the floor. I grabbed a broom and swept it up. I bandaged up my foot and then realized I was going to be late for school.

This had never happened before.

I grabbed a bagel and then ran up to my room, where I pulled on a pair of jeans. I didn't even brush my hair. I grabbed my backpack and hoped everything was in there. I ran out the door and then stopped. Since the sprinklers had been on, the grass was still wet. The wet grass had drag marks in then. It was as if two people were dragged away from my house.

Of course, that had to be my imagination. That would never happen. I wanted to stay home and investigate, but school was important as well. I continued my way to school, but I was distracted. I ran into my classroom, and even the teacher stopped talking.

"You are late," the teacher said, with a hint of surprise. All of the teachers at the school knew that I was a straight A, hard working, never late student.

"Sorry," I muttered, keeping my eyes on the floor. I didn't know what else to say. I sat at my desk, and opened my backpack. "Crap, I forgot my math book."

"Are you okay?" Iggy asked me when he handed me his book to use.

"Fine," I lied, faking an unnecessary smile. Iggy gave me an 'I don't believe you' look. I had to give him some explanation. "I had problems with my parents." It was practically the truth! Iggy gave me the same look as before. How could he tell I was lying? My voice was steady and normal pitched.

During passing period, Iggy walked beside me, "Did you sleep in because you were guilty?"

"No," I said, "I was telling the truth earlier."

"Something happened this morning," Iggy said, "I can tell."

I wondered how he could tell. His goofy smile was gone and replaced by a serious expression.

"You are wrong," I snapped and we entered the classroom. "You don't know anything." I instantly felt bad. He was right, actually. We didn't speak again until lunch, and I knew I had to apologize. I felt horrible. I felt guiltier about this than breaking the law.

While my friends planned homecoming, I walked over to Iggy's table and sat down. Max and Fang quieted, and Iggy seemed to notice that someone new was around him.

Max glanced over at me, and sighed, "I'm sorry for being so cold to you."

Iggy and Fang had shocked expressions. I guess Max isn't the type to apologize.

"It's okay, and Iggy, sorry for snapping at you," I said, and Iggy smiled and then it was time for class.

Right after school, I raced home. I noticed that the dag marks on the grass weren't there anymore. Someone had covered them up. I threw open the door, and mother and father were sitting at the table, whispering. They looked up at me when I walked in.

"Hi, honey," mother greeted me. I froze, shocked by her warm welcome. My father sitting next to her, and they were holding hands.

I tried to act normal as I took off my shoes and placed my backpack by the stairs.

"Where were you this morning?" I asked, sitting at the table with them.

"What do you mean, sweetie?" my mother asked, her voice oddly friendly and kind. "We have been home all day. We didn't go anywhere."

"I checked your bedroom before I left for school today," I explained, and I began to doubt my sanity. This morning hadn't been a dream, right? I hadn't imagined the whole thing.

"I must have been in the shower, and your father went on a run," mom guessed, but her answer was too planned out. It was as if she had spent the day planning the explanation.

"But…" I didn't say anything more. I didn't want to seem crazy. Then I looked at both of them, "Are you two getting along?"

"We have decided that we are going to be better parents, and we have found our love again," dad answered, a smile on his face. Now I felt like I was in a movie. It was weird.

I forced a smile, "That's great! I have some homework."

"Not yet, we want to spend some time with you," dad said, "we can play board games, and you can tell us about your life."

"Uh, sure," I said before I raced upstairs, and locked my door. Who were those people and what had they done with my parents? In my 15 years, they had never said a kind word to me or gotten along. Slowly, I opened my door and quietly walked down the stairs, and sat on the bottom step. I could hear my parents whispering. I just couldn't make out their words.

"Normal…parents…she can't…I think…" I heard dad say, "she's too…suspicious."

"New…kids…have to convince her," mom answered, "today can't happen again…I know that we…"

"It's not our fault," dad said, raising his voice a bit.

"Sshh," mom hissed. I leaned over so I could see them. They were sitting far apart again, making sure they weren't touching.

"All I'm saying is…mayor…"

"Not his fault," mother whispered back, "we were careless."

"This plan won't…Maybe if we…" dad replied back.

"Have to pretend…" mom finished, and they both left the table. I hurried back upstairs, but I was a little too loud. I rushed into my room, and sat on my bed, trying to figure out what the heck they were talking about.

_What's going on here? _

I went downstairs, trying to act normal. We decided to play Disney Scene It, and we made dinner together. It was weird, and I knew something was very wrong. We watched a movie together, and then I went upstairs to finish homework.

I didn't know what was going on, but I was going to find out.


	8. Day Nine

**This is one of my favorite chapters to write! Hopefully you will enjoy reading this! PLEASE review! It means the world to me! I'm sick, and I have nothing else to do but sit around and write, listen to Never Shout Never and wait for reviews! Please tell me what you think of this! Do you like the cliff hanger? Tell me so!**

I made sure I wasn't late for school the next day. I was so embarrassed that I had been late in the first place. I went to class early, and of course, Iggy was there early. If anything, he seemed like the type who wouldn't show up to school at all.

"Did you hear?" he asked as I sat down. I wondered how he knew it was me. I had walked quietly, and I hadn't worn my usual tennis shoes. Today, I was wearing my comfortable TOMS, which a lot of girls wore at this school.

"Hear what?" I questioned, pulling out my notebook and textbook. I was prepared today.

"They are practically putting lockdown on this town," Iggy said, "You know, because of the sprinkler and electricity 'accident.'"

"Ah," I acknowledged what he said. I cursed myself for doing something so stupid. "What kind of lockdown?"

"More cameras up, because they are set on figuring out who did this," Iggy said with a smile. I almost fell out of my chair. I was going to go to jail. We were going to be executed. Iggy and I were going to die. "We aren't going to get caught."

Maybe he was right. We had bee sneaky, and they should have caught us by now. If they hadn't figured out it was us, they never would.

That was too much to hope for.

The school day went by like normal. I sat with my friends, and Iggy sat with his anti-social siblings. I stayed at school late for yearbook, and then I had tryouts for cheer. I know, I know. I had done almost everything possible at school, so now I was trying out to be a cheerleader. I was that desperate. I can't say if I did well or not.

I went home, and went into the kitchen. Mom was on the phone, and she hung up the second I walked in. She almost had a panicked look on her face.

"The mayor requests you to eat dinner at his house tonight," she said with a stiff, worried tone. _Oh my god, we got caught. The mayor knows it was me who messed with the sprinklers and electricity. He's going to shoot me. I'm going to die, _those thoughts raced through my mind. "He said it's a semi-formal occasion so wear a skirt."

I nodded, and raced upstairs before anything else could be said. I had two hours before I went to the mayor's house, where I knew I was going to die. I quickly wrote my will, where I gave nothing to my parents and everything to my yearbook friends. I looked under my bed, where I had secretly stashed fashion magazines.

It was the only rule I had ever broken in this town. The mayor had come in and said that outside-anywhere outside of our town-magazines and newspapers were not allowed. That's when most of our citizens left the town. I had secretly continued to receive them.

Plus, I was ashamed that I got such shallow magazines. I hid them safely in my closet, and then looked for something to wear. I had to look nice. Maybe if I looked cute, I wouldn't die. I rolled my eyes at that thought. I wasn't cute, or pretty, so I was doomed.

I only had one skirt to choose from, and I was not going to wear a blouse. I pulled on my purple skirt that reached my knees, and pulled on a white Never Shout Never T-shirt, and then looked in the mirror. Obviously, the mayor did not like outsiders, so he probably wouldn't like my t-shirt. It wasn't until right then when I wondered what was wrong with our mayor. He had come here, become mayor and cut out the outside world from us. It was weird.

I changed into a plain white t-shirt, and pulled on my converse. I decided to brush my hair. I yanked a brush through, and then looked in the mirror. For the first time ever, I wasn't satisfied with my looks. I was going to see a rich, sophisticated mayor. The mayor lived on a giant house on the top of a hill. Cliché? Yes. True? Yes.

I wasn't happy with my hair, but I didn't change it. I didn't have a purse, so I didn't bother finding one out of my mother's closet. I walked downstairs, and I heard my mother say, "It's my entire fault. We weren't pretending well enough." Then, she heard she come downstairs, and looked up.

She smiled weakly, and it seemed like even she knew I was in trouble. I smiled and walked out the door. I decided to quickly run to Iggy's house and see if he was going to the mayor's house. I knocked on his door, and Angel opened the door. She smiled at me.

"Iggy was asked to the mayor's dinner, but he isn't attending," Angel said before I had a chance to open my mouth. Okay, creepy much? "I'll get him so you can convince him." Again, it was like she had read my mind.

I didn't have time to thank her, because Iggy hopped down the stairs and came to the door. Angel hadn't even moved.

"You have to go to the mayor's house," I told him, a pleading tone. I just didn't want to go alone. Iggy and Angel looked at each other, as if they were having a silent conversation. "You can get into more trouble than you already are."

Iggy turned to me, "Fine, come on." He walked out the door and quickly down the driveway. I had to walk quickly to keep up with his long stride. "Are you dressed up?" I looked down, and said no. We reached the mayor's house, and I was nervous. Iggy wore his careless expression, which irritated me.

As we walked up the driveway, I noticed something walking beside the mansion. It was furry and dark. "Is that a bear?" I wondered out loud. The animal seemed to sense our presence and ran off. It ran away on two feet, and it had a very human stride.

"Bear?" Iggy asked.

I looked at where it had been. "Never mind, come on." I knocked on the mayor's door, and the mayor opened it up. He wore a fake jolly smile, and wore a dark suit, although he wore his usual white coat. His eyes instantly went to Iggy.

"Welcome," the mayor said, mostly to Iggy. Great, I was going to be ignored tonight. Not that I had a problem with that. "Dinner is about to be served." I looked up the stairs, and I could have sworn I saw the animal walking past. The mayor noticed me looking upstairs, and quickly led us to the dining room. He sat down, and told us to make ourselves at home. I stiffly sat down across from Iggy. The table was long, and very distant.

"So, are you two behaving?" The mayor asked. There was a banging on the door, but the mayor acted like he couldn't hear it.

"Yes sir," I instantly replied, a little too quickly.

"I know you are, Elyse. You are well known for your great behavior," he replied with a false happy tone, and his eyes told me that he knew all of my secrets. I kept my chin high although I was intimidated by him. "What about you, Iggy? How do you like this town? I haven't seen your parents around lately."

There was more banging on the wall.

"They are on a missions trip," Iggy said, his voice smooth. I almost believed him. Almost. "They will be back soon."

I noticed there was a clip on the mayor's coat that stated "doctor." "Are you a doctor?" I asked him, although I knew he couldn't be.

"Does he look like a doctor?" Iggy asked me in a low voice.

"He's wearing a white doctor coat," I noted. Iggy immediately tensed up, and he began to fidget. Something was very wrong. There was more banging on the wall, and then I heard some growling. I began to fidget as well.

The mayor laughed, "Oh no, I'm an animal trainer. I raise animals and train them to be perfect." For some reason, he was looking right at Iggy.

There was more banging, and I couldn't take this anymore. I stood up, "I think Iggy and I should go home. We have a bunch of homework due tomorrow." My voice was shaking, and I was nervous. There was something wrong here.

"You aren't going anywhere, child," the mayor laughed, and the dining room door slammed closed.

He was right.

I wasn't going anywhere.


	9. end of day nine

**Thanks so much for the reviews! So, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with this chapter, but I came up with this. I decided to wait a while until I let ya'll find out what's really going on in this small town(: PLEASE DO REVIEW!**

** Silverstar121: This has a few details of what she looks like(: Enjoy!**

** Candylanelover-I hate cliffies too, but I just LOVE writing them(: To me, it brings out emotions that you wouldn't otherwise know exist! Enjoy(:**

** Bookwormsattack- I love your username, and yes Elyse, beware. Just, beware of what? :P**

** Demigodflock-thanks(: keep reading! **

The mayor glared at me, and fear welled up in my chest. He really was going to kill us. Earlier, I had just been joking with myself about dying. This couldn't actually been happening. These things only happen in movies. The mayor gestured towards the chair, and I immediately sat down. I wasn't going to get on the bad side of this guy. Iggy hadn't moved or said a single word.

He blinked a few times, and then smiled, which was unnerving, "I'm hungry." I stared at him, confused. How could he be so calm when the mayor was a creeper?

The mayor wasn't going to take any of Iggy's jokes, or his good attitude. The mayor instantly went on his way to kill Iggy's attitude, "I suppose you came here to be safe, yes?" I gave Iggy a confused look, and his smile instantly dropped off of his face. He tensed up. We both wanted out of here.

I wished Iggy could see, so he would understand that this mayor didn't sound evil, he also looked evil.

"Also, I'm not a doctor, I'm a scientist," the mayor said as a servant walked in and placed steaming bowls of tomato soap in front of us. I tried not to make a face. "Ah, you don't like tomato soup, right?"

I tensed, wondering how he knew this. 

The mayor continued on, ignoring my shocked expression, "Anyway, I like to experiment." I didn't like the way he said the last word.

"What do you experiment?" I hesitantly asked, my curiosity taking over my mouth. 

The mayor dismissed my question with a wave of his spoon. "So, you are here today because I wanted to check up on my favorite citizens." He studied Iggy, "I wanted to know how the troublemaker likes our town." His gray eyes set themselves onto me, and I refused to tremble. 

"Elyse, I wanted to check up and see how you are. I'm sure you are starting to find discomfort in your looks." My spoon clattered against the bowl. 

"No sir," I lied. I had never disliked my looks until just today. 

"Liars do not make friends in this town," the mayor glared at me. "Perhaps your hair is an ugly dark red, or you find your green eyes too grass-like. Maybe your hair won't grow fast enough. I bet you hide fashion magazines under your bed, because you wish you looked like them."  
>I lost my appetite. He was spot on, and I didn't like it. How did he know? He gave me a knowing smile, and I reached for the glass of water. <p>

"I could get you a soda," the mayor piped up, "Dr. Pepper is your favorite." 

I almost spit out my water, and I quickly put it down. I shook my head. "So Iggy, are you going to try out for any sports team?" I tried to steady my voice. I was done with the mayor picking on me. He knew things that he shouldn't know, and I just wanted to run away. I wanted the mayor to stop looking at me like I was a prized dog. 

"Nah, I've never been good at catching or running. I'm a klutz," Iggy said in a serious, calm voice. He looked so calm; I began to believe that he really was calm. He smiled like we were sharing an inside joke. 

"Are you two good friends?" the mayor asked, butting in on our friendly conversation.  
>I was about to say no, but I glanced over at Iggy. Something in the back of my head said, tell him all lies. So I nodded my head. <p>

"We will have to fix that," the mayor muttered under his breath. "I hope you like the soup. Next is your favorite, Elyse. Steak." 

I loved steak. Then I remembered I needed to lie. "I'm vegetarian." It was one of the best lies I had ever told. My voice was smooth and serious. 

The mayor's eyes widened and he was speechless. "That can't be true," he said, mostly to himself. He stood up, brushed his tie and said, "I think it's time for both of you to leave. I'm glad I have such perfect citizens. Iggy, tell your family-" he made air quotes around the last word-"I said hello."  
>I practically ran for the door. I was so glad to finally leave. Then the mayor gave me a look that said I would be back. <p>

Iggy and I stepped out into the cool night air and walked down the driveway. 

"There is something wrong with the mayor," I said, under my breath. That was an understatement of a lifetime. The mayor had to be evil. What was going on? 

"There is something wrong with this town," Iggy replied. As we walked down the road leading into downtown, I noticed that people were turning and staring at us. Those who were mowing lawns stopped moving and silently watched us pass. 

I told Iggy goodbye and said I would see him tomorrow. 

"Thanks for going to the mayors dinner with me," I said, forcing my voice to be louder. "I don't think I could have done it alone." 

Iggy smiled, "Either way, I'm dead." he said it as a joke, but something about it made my bones freeze. He had turned reality into a joke. 

"How do you think he knows so much about me?" I asked. 

"I don't know," he said, but I could tell he had a few guesses. "Just pretend tonight didn't happen." 

"That'll be hard," I tried not to whimper; "I'm a little freaked out." 

"He's a normal mayor," Iggy assured me, "Every mayor is like that." I couldn't tell if he was lying or not. We walked our separate ways. 

When I got home, my parents were at their usual spot at the table. They both looked at me and sighed with relief. 

"We didn't know you were vegetarian," my mother noted as I walked upstairs. 

I almost fell down the stairs.


	10. Day Ten

**Here is a short chapter! It's mostly a filler chapter leading up to the next chapter! The next chapter is what you would call intense! It will be longer than this! If you want the chapter out soon, please review (GAH, my 'p' key is not working.) Reviews=more chapters published. This one may be boring, but please read and review anyway! It's leading up to a good next chapter(: **

I barely slept that night. Thoughts about the mayor, Iggy, and secrets swam through my overactive brain. Finally, I fell asleep, but soon woke up to go to school. There were bags under my eyes, and my lips were dry. My skin was dull, and my eyes boring. I stood in front of the mirror, faking a smile. I wasn't going to be satisfied until I found out what was going on in this small town.

I went to school early, and decided to skip my yearbook meeting so I could talk to Iggy. I walked into class, and found Iggy sitting on the desk, fidgeting. He was so early, as always. I walked up to him and sat on a random desk next to his.

"I want to figure out what is going on," I stated, "and I have a feeling you know something."

"I don't know anything," Iggy tried to convince me. That's just it, though. He was trying too hard to convince me. His voice sounded like he had practiced saying that all night.

"That's great except I don't believe you," I said, my voice lowering. "Iggy, I am going to figure this out, with or without you."

"Don't snoop, you will get in trouble," Iggy stated.

"I don't care." I did care. But curiosity killed the cat. A plan began to weave into my mind. "I'm going to sneak into the mayor's house tonight."

It wasn't until I said it that the idea sounded crazy, and brilliant.

"You won't do it," Iggy said, but he was mostly telling that to himself. He didn't believe that I, a straight A good-girl, would ever do such an preposterous thing. To me, it seemed like Iggy was scared I was actually going to find something.

"I've been here my whole life, and I'm not going to let anyone keep secrets. This is the only place I know, and it's turning out that I don't even know this place. I have to know." Maybe that was too deep for me to tell him. Yet, it was so true. My parents were keeping secrets. My friends always kept secrets. The whole town was keeping secrets.

I was going to find out what those secrets were.

It became quiet, as Iggy considered this.

"I'll go with you," he decided. "Be outside my house at midnight." This was the most sneaking out I had done, ever. All of this sneaking out had been caused by Iggy.

"You have secrets too." That slipped out without me even really thinking it. I had thought about it before. Before Iggy and his 'family' had shown up, everything had been completely normal. When he showed up, everyone and everything changed. Iggy's secrets seemed to be big.

"I don't keep secrets," Iggy said, and I knew that was a huge lie.

Kids streamed in, and Iggy and I fell silent again. During lunch, I sat with my friends. Max came up to me, and gestured for me to follow her. My friends gave me an odd look and I stood up and followed. Max whirled around to face me.

"You can't go into the mayor's house tonight," she snapped, with her arms crossed. I shouldn't have been surprised. Of course Iggy was going to tell his 'sister' about the plan.

"Why not?"

Max searched for the right words, "It could be dangerous."

"How could it possibly be dangerous? It's _just _a house. He is _just _a mayor. This isn't dangerous, it's just illegal," I shrugged, although saying the illegal part wasn't very convincing.

Max gave me a secret look that said it wasn't _just _a house, and he was very much not _just _a mayor. It wasn't just illegal, it was dangerous. Yet, why would it be dangerous? Logic had won me over. The mayor may be creepy, but he wasn't a murderer. He was a mayor, for god's sake.

I shook my head, "Sorry, but I have to figure out what's going on."

Max hesitated but nodded, but I could see she was coming up with a plan. Like Iggy, it seemed like she knew what I was going to find. It also seemed like she was very scared of what I was going to find. I shrugged it off. I didn't care.

After school, I went home. My parents were sitting in their usual spot at the table, holding hands. They looked at me as I walked in. They gestured for me to sit.

They gave me a serious look.

"You can't break into the mayor's house," my mother stated. I opened my mouth in shock. How did they know? Who told them?

I forced a fake laugh, and decided to turn on my good liar face. "Are you crazy? Why would I even want to break into the mayor's house? He's the nicest guy ever!" The last part was probably pushing it, but I had to be convincing. "I'm not stupid." I paused for a second, "Where did you hear that?"

"It's just a rumor," dad said, side glancing at mom. They squeezed each other's hands, and told me I could go.

I was a little bit frightened by how they knew. That wasn't going to stop me.

At midnight, I was going to be outside of Iggy's house, and we were going to sneak into the mayor's house, and I was going to find out what was going on.


	11. Day Eleven

**Here is the new chapter! So many questions! What will Elyse and Iggy find down in the basement? What's going on in this small town? Hmm! Read to find out! Thanks so much for the reviews! I really appreciate it! I have like…3 tests to take today, so wish me luck! If you want another chapter, PLEASE review! The more reviews, the faster I shall write(: ENJOY! **

Tonight was darker than usual. There were only a few scattered stars and the moon was completely covered by clouds. It was the perfect night. Iggy was waiting on his porch. I heard me nearing him, so he met me at the end of the driveway. Both of us started our way towards the house on the hill.

Lightning struck in the distance, and we could hear the distance rumbling of thunder. A few minutes later, we found ourselves in front of the mayor's house.

"There is a basement window that we could get into," Iggy noted.

"How do you know?" I asked. He couldn't see, and he didn't know the layout of the house.

Iggy didn't answer. Instead, he led the way to the side of the house, and stood before a cracked window. How had Iggy known it was there? He leaned down and felt for the cracked window, and pushed it open farther. It was like he had already planned this out.

"I'll go in first," Iggy said.

"No, I should since I can scope it out," I suggested, and slipped in through the window. My short, skinny body easily fit through, but the floor was farther away from the window than I had expected. Once through the window, I had to jump from the window and landed on the floor, ten feet below the window. I told Iggy this. Then, I switched on my flashlight.

The room was completely, utterly empty. I told this to Iggy, and the first thing he said was, "Then, we should go.**"** I grabbed his wrist before he turned toward the window.

"I'm here for answers," I told him, and I searched for the door that would lead into another room. Iggy huffed but didn't stop me. He followed me towards the wooden door.

That's when we heard it.

_Bang. Bang-bang. Baaannngggg. Bang. _Something was on the other side of the wall, trying to get out. _Scraaattcchhh. _I froze, listening. I could hear growling and hissing.

"I think we should go," Iggy didn't sound scared, he just acted like he wanted me to leave.

I shook my head, "We continue on." I opened the wooden door which led down a hallway. There were several doors on each side. Obviously, we didn't want to open the door that led to the growls. I remembered what the mayor said about being a scientist who liked to experiment. I shuttered.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the hallway. I opened the door on the left, and it was empty. I opened the next door. The room was empty as well.

"Why are there so many empty rooms?" I wondered aloud. Each door led to an empty room. One door led to a staircase that went upstairs.

"We shouldn't go upstairs," Iggy suggested.

"You are right, we should figure out what is in that one room with the growling," I said, turning towards the door that led to the growling and scratching. It sounded like a million animals were inside there.

"Elyse…No," Iggy warned. He was hesitant, but it seemed like it was because he knew what was in there. "Don't open that door," he instructed. I wasn't going to listen to him.

I threw the door open. 

There weren't any animals. There wasn't anything banging on the door. It was a room with a bunch of boxes and a few computers. 

"Perfect," I announced and stepped in the room, "Come on, why are you so worried? You do this a lot, don't you?" He didn't answer, but hesitantly followed me. I looked in the corner of the room where I found a CD recorder. I went over to inspect it. I pressed play, and the animal and banging sounds started.  
>"It was just a way to get us to not come in here," I thought aloud. "That's genius." <p>

I had seen Gasman use the same CD player before, but it didn't cross my mind at the time. Owning the same product as someone else was popular in this small town. I set the CD player down and went to the computer. I turned on the screen, but it asked for a 8-digit password. 

"Iggy, it's dark, can you find the light switch?" I instantly cursed myself for asking such a silly question. A week and a half with Iggy, and I was still making the stupid mistake. 

"There's no light switch," the words seemed to rush out of his mouth. "I would guess," he said quickly to cover up something. I shrugged it off, but it kept nagging me. Maybe he knew more than he let on. The thought was pushed to the back of mind, but would later come to haunt me. 

I went to a random box and slowly opened it. It was filled with hundreds of papers. There were so many. It made homework papers look like a...squirrel. This was a freaking giraffe slash hippo. If you get my drift.

I picked up a piece of paper. 

"What did you find? We should go," Iggy rubbed his wrists together, which I noticed he did when he got nervous. 

"Aren't you curious to find out what's up with this guy?" I asked. I didn't give him a chance to answer. "This is an experiment paper. Iggy, this says that number 2146 has blonde hair and blue eyes, with a lean body and is deaf. Doesn't that sound like a human description? Do you think...?" Was the mayor experimenting on humans?  
>Impossible. <p>

But it crossed my mind for a moment. No one was so cruel! 

I read through the paper, but it was just a bunch of complicated scientific words. I folded the piece of paper and slipped it into my pocket for later reference. 

"Don't take anything," Iggy warned. I shrugged off his suggestion. I stood up and went to a different box. I opened it and bit back a gasp. 

"There are pictures," I muttered under my breath. I picked up a few pictures. Pictures of people I had seen in town. Pictures of the lunch lady, except her eyes were an odd gold color and she had fangs. It was scary. 

There was my next door neighbor, except they had horns and goat feet. 

"Iggy..." I couldn't bring myself to bring my voice above a whisper. "They are monsters!" 

"Photoshop," Iggy said, "It has to be. Elyse, be logical. Monsters don't exist." He was so right in every way. I set the pictures down, but then one caught my eye. I picked it up, and couldn't tear my eyes away from it. 

It was a picture of the back of a male. Except this male was shirtless. This shirtless male had wings. The wings spread wide and full. They were light and beautiful.

Weird? Yes. 

Mesmerizing? Absolutely.

There were no words to describe its beauty.

I quickly put it in my pocket, as if I thought it was going to slip out of my hands and disappear.  
>Suddenly, the computer sparked and made a rattling sound. I quickly ran over to the computer and looked at the screen. It was blue and random letters appeared on the screen. The letters unscrambled themselves and stated "Get out now or you never will." <p>

"What is going on?" Iggy asked desperately. 

"Nothing," I lied but my voice trembled. "I think it's time to go." 

"Good idea," Iggy said and I led the way out. We went out into the hallway and I turned to the door that led to the open window. I grabbed the handle and jiggled. 

It was locked. 

I took a deep breath, "The door is locked." Iggy stayed oddly calm. 

There was a growl behind us. 

We turned and looked down the long hallway. At first, I thought it was a rabid dog. It growled and it's large claws scratched against the cement floor. I quickly wiggled the handle. It wouldn't budge. I tried to open the other door. We were stuck in the hallway. 

"What is it?" Iggy asked, keeping his voice under control. 

I squinted my eyes, trying to make out the shadowy animal. My flashlight was dying and the light was not shining bright. 

"Something not pretty or happy," I hissed, pushing against the door. If we could get the door open, we would easily run to the window. 

The window that was high above the floor. 

We hadn't thought this through. 

I glanced back at the animal. I could make out its body. It looked as if it was half tiger and half wolf. Of course, no one bred tigers and wolves. Was that even possible?  
>Then it's face became clear. Its eyes were white, and it had no pupils. It's whiskers stuck out and it snarled it's sharp, pearly white teeth. <p>

It wasn't happy. 

It was walking slowly. It hadn't even made it half way down the hallway. It acted as if it was stalking its prey. 

We were the prey. 

"Iggy, it looks mean," I stuttered. "Can't you do something?" my heart was beginning to pound faster than before. The insignificant source of light didn't help. 

"I'm thinking," Iggy said. He could get us out of here. He would save us. I wasn't going to die down in the mayors basement by a creature that couldn't be real. 

"Iggy, I don't know what animal it is! What is this place? Those files! Why did the doors suddenly lock?" it all came out of my mouth at once. I forgot to say a few words. I was stressed and scared.  
>I took a deep breath. Just think of those great stories that I could write. Or someone else could write once I'm dead. "I haven't written my will yet!" I cried. <p>

"Me neither," Iggy's reply was troubling. He was calm and even had a slight smile. He wasn't taking this seriously. 

Then the creature sped up, then suddenly stopped. It shook itis back legs, like a cat about to pounce. This giant animal was going to pounce on us. 

Then my flashlight died. 

"Iggy, I can't see! My flashlight! The animal could be right next to us, get us out of here!" 

"Step away from the door," Iggy instructed. I quickly stepped away. Then it became silent.  
>I could hear the padding of the animal walking closer to us. My chest tightened and I couldn't breathe. Panic soared through my body. <p>

"Iggy? Iggy!" I cried out, hearing the animals claws scratch the floor. 

"The door is open now," he said, and I quickly fell through the doorway. I slammed the door shut behind us, just as the animal lunged.  
>I choked out the air that I had been holding. <p>

Then the light flicked on. 

The mayor stood in front of us. 

"I've been expecting you."


	12. Day Twelve

**I'm kind of disappointed because I only had a few reviews for the last chapter...I worked really hard on it. So, until I get more reviews, this will be my last chapter for a while. I'm struggling to keep my straight A's, so I don't have a lot of time on my hands. I will only post if people really want me to. And honestly, I really suck at romance stories, but I'm going to try to add some more Iggy/Elyse moments, while keeping the mystery, and without it being cheesily cliché. **

** Tell me what you think. **

My heart stopped beating. My blood stopped pumping. My mind shut off.

"Mr. Mayor," Iggy said lightly, acting as if this was a casual encounter at the post office. It wasn't anything like a casual encounter though. I wanted to reach over and smack him.

"I should be mad, although I doubt you have found anything," the mayor sounded oddly calm.

"No sir," Iggy stated. As if the mayor was going to believe him!

"Alright, kids, get out of here!" The mayor sighed, like a father telling his son to go to his room after being caught sneaking out.

"You are kidding!" I gasped, finally breathing again. "Aren't you like, going to kill us?"

The mayor laughed, "Of course not! You are just kids being kids!" Something was off. The mayor was acting like a jolly Santa Clause. I started for the window, "Please, use the front door. I'll lead the way." I was doubtful. The mayor was probably leading us to the torture chamber. We went back out into the hallway. There was no evil animal trying to kill us.

The mayor led us upstairs.

"I hope this won't happen again," he said casually, "especially after curfew! I only made the curfew for safety! I've heard of many wolves in the wolves at night. I didn't want anything bad to happen. And, of course,so there is less accidents and all that. I hope you kids understand."

I grabbed my act together, "Of course, it won't happen again! I was just curious! Now I'm not anymore! Thanks for being so understanding! You are the best!" I forced a false smile as the mayor opened the front door and Iggy and I stepped into the cool air.

Iggy and I silently walked down the long driveway. Finally, I spoke up, "Something is wrong! He isn't acting like himself! What was that creepy animal that mauled us? Those pictures? Those files?"

"You better gives that piece of paper and picture to me. Maybe my siblings can do some research," Iggy suggested, but I could tell there was another reason behind this.

I shook my head, "I'm doing the research myself."

It was a short walk to his house, so I said goodbye, "We can't do that again. Not until I find out more about him. What if he's an evil pedophile or something?"

Iggy shook his head, "Don't be crazy!"

"I'm not being crazy! That evil beast that attacked us is crazy! How do you explain that?" I asked, "You didn't see it! It wasn't just a guard dog protecting his house!"

Iggy told me to sleep on it, and walked up to his house. I watched him enter his house, and I stood alone in street for a while. Finally, I stepped away and slowly started to my house. My breathing wasn't back to normal.

I decided I wasn't going to school the next morning. I didn't feel like myself. In fact, I felt sick to my stomach. Of course, the real reason was that I needed time when my parents were at work and everyone was at school so I could research on the internet. Of course, the town's internet was limited, so we could only go to a few websites.

I sneaked into my house, and wrote a note saying that I was sick, hoping my parents would see it in the morning.

I slid into my bed, but I couldn't sleep. The mayor's jolly grin was scaring me. The animal that tried to kill us kept me awake. Finally, I slipped into a light sleep. I tossed and turned. I woke at 10am, and felt like I hadn't slept at all.

I went downstairs, and saw a note from my mother, "There is some tea for you! I called the school and said you were sick! Do your homework so you don't get behind! Feel better soon 3." I ripped up the note and threw it in the trashcan. I was tired of that!

There was a knock at the front door, and I tiredly walked over to the door and opened it. Iggy stood on the doorstep.

"I'm here to help you research," he announced and stepped inside. Perfect, I thought with no sarcasm. He was exactly what I needed. I led him to the kitchen, and he sat at the table. I made my tea and happily found a box of strawberry poptarts.

"So, I thought we would look over that piece of paper about the test subject first," I said as I sat at the table and ate my pop-tart. Iggy nodded, and he looked like he was deep in thought. When I was done eating, I led Iggy to the backyard where we had a hammock. I hadn't been on it in years, because I never had free time. Iggy laid down on it, and swung it side to side as I tried to get on.

"Stop it, I want to get on!" I complained as he swung it harder. I couldn't grab it to get on. Iggy rolled his blind eyes and I laid on it as well. I pulled out the piece of paper. I read it over, but again, it made no sense. I folded it up. Maybe now was a good time to get some information about him for the story.

"So, are your parents still gone?" I asked.

Iggy nodded, "They will be gone for a while longer."

"What are their names?"

"Jeb is my dad." Something sounded bitter in his voice.

For the next while, we asked each other questions. Iggy was sarcastic as ever, and I started to feel better. Maybe I was making a big deal out of this. Maybe the mayor was normal. Maybe the creature had been an expensive breed of guard dogs.

Iggy started to explain his new experiment with dynamite, donuts and orange juice. I was actually thrilled to listen. His creativity was inspiring. I pitched in ideas for some bombs, and Iggy just laughed at me. Supposedly baking soda, and vinegar along with gun powder isn't a very good idea. I asked him about the outside world.

"I want to go to Paris someday," I announced after we fell silent for a second.

"It's nice. It has good weather," Iggy said.

"You've been there?" I asked, in shock. I had never met someone who had been there before. "Is it wonderful?"

"Yep. Their accents are cool," Iggy said with a side smile. I smacked his arm.

"I'm trying to be serious here!" I said.

Iggy made me forget about everything. He made me forget about yearbook, school the next day and everything else. Yet, there was something nagging me at the back of my head.

This bliss couldn't last forever.

Iggy left a few minutes later, and I slowly drifted off to sleep. It was so peaceful on the hammock. I could smell the fresh air, and the trees swayed in the breeze.

_I was in a cage, in a very dark room. I could make out a few figures standing in front of the cage._

_ "Did the test come back positive?" the man asked._

_ The other man shook his head, "Negative. This experiment will never be able to move again. It's time to throw it out."_

_ Before I could even blink, the figures dragged me out of the cage, and injected me with a syrum. It caused the most pain I had ever felt in my life._

_ Before I could even think, I was dead. _


	13. Day Thirteen

**Reviews PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE! I have a question! Do you think this needs more adventure scenes, more bonding with Iggy, more mystery, more shocking scenes or what? TELL me please! I am doubtful about this chapter! I'm not good at bonding scenes, but I'm trying my hardest! Please tell me what you think about this chapter! What do you think will happen next? What do you think is going on? Please do TELL! The more reviews I get, the more I will write!**

THIRD PERSON

_Iggy knocked on Max's door. There was a grunt and the door swung open._

_ "It's 3am, you are so dead," Max grumbled, wrapping a rope around her and facing Iggy. "Iggy..."_

_ "The mayor is onto us, Max," Iggy said. He had been up all night with Fang, searching for clues on what was going on here. "Something is wrong here."_

_ Max nodded stiffly, "Iggy, you know I already told you everything I know. Now go away before I push you down the stairs."_

_ "We should leave," Fang appeared next to Iggy. It was a family meeting at 3am. Max growled, looking back at her tempting bed. She just wanted to crawl back into the covers. But nooooooo, sleep was not allowed in this household. _

_ "No," a new voice spoke up. Everyone flinched and looked at Angel. She was looking at them with her beautiful big eyes. "We are supposed to be here." This had started happening more than usual. Angel seemed to know everything. "This is where the world is going to start to end."_

_ "What do you mean, sweetie?" Max got down on her knees and looked into Angel's eyes._

_ "If you fail to save this town, you will fail to save the world."_

ELYSE'S P.O.V

I woke up, sweating. It was Friday. I swung out of bed and pulled on basketball shorts and a t-shirt, brushed my hair and ate a bagel. I went to school early to meet up with the school council. We had a homecoming to plan. I took one last look at the picture of the winged man and stuffed it under my bed. I decided to get my head back in the game, and work on my grades and yearbook and everything that mattered. I had to move on.

I sat next to Iggy at school and we didn't speak to each other. There was nothing to say. We had silently agreed that we weren't going to pursue the mystery of the mayor. The only thing I was going to pursue was straight A's.

During third period, I thought, _just because we aren't sneaking out anymore doesn't mean we can be friends. _So, after school, I approached Iggy and said, "We should watch a movie tonight." I didn't want to do a movie at my house though. I was avoiding my parents. My parents were proof that things weren't normal. I didn't want to see that proof. "Your house?"

"Yeah, sure," Iggy shrugged.

"Is a movie a bad idea? I mean, your..."

"Blind?" Iggy finished for me, with a slight smile. "I like listening to movies. Let's just watch a blow-em-up movie. You know, manly movie."

I rolled my eyes, "What if I'm into crazy chick flicks like The Notebook?" I felt crazy just saying things like that. I was never into romantic movies. They were always cheesy, stupid and pointless.

"I don't think you are," Iggy said, "You seem like the type to like mystery and crime movies." He was spot on. "Maybe shows like CSI?"

"CSI?" I asked, "What's that?"

"They really keep you locked up here," Iggy muttered under his breath. "What kind of TV shows do they allow here?"

"Mostly political ones or documentaries. The mayor says he doesn't want to allow us to watch our brains away," I replied, but even saying that sounded off. _Why does the mayor have control over what we watch? _I pushed the question away.

"I think we are going to have a CSI marathon tonight," Iggy announced as Max and Fang joined us and we walked over to the middle school.

"Hey, Gazzy, how about you, Nudge and Angel _ run _home and make sure the house is _clean," _Max said to Gazzy, putting emphasis on random words. Gazzy nodded and the three children ran down the road and disappeared.

"So, Elyse, what do you know about this town's history?" Fang randomly asked, "I'm a history geek, and I'd really like to know some stuff. I can't find anything in the library." Fang did not seem like the type to be into history. He seemed like the mysterious emo rocker dude, or maybe a creepy author like Edgar Allen Poe.

Max stifled a laugh and it turned into coughing to cover it.

I shrugged, "Um," I thought for a second. In 7th grade, we had a whole year about this town's history. It had been fairly boring, especially because... "This town is pretty much new. It was founded not too long ago. Maybe 70 years ago?" The teacher had never given us specific dates about when the town had been founded. I just knew that my parents had been raised here, and the elderly here swore they had grown up here as well.

Fang and Max shared a knowing look. I was totally confused.

We reached the house and the TV was already on, and I could smell nachos. These kids never missed a chance to sit back and relax. The dog wagged its tail and greeted us. It glanced at me, and it's knowledgeable eyes put me on edge.

"We built a fort!" Angel announced with a sweet smile. Sure enough, the whole living room was full of blankets and pillows.

Gazzy looked at me, "I hope you like gory stuff."

"Gore?" I asked, my eyes widening a little bit. Sure, I hated romance, but I had never wanted to watch something with gore. I wasn't exactly a friend of blood or violence either.

"This is going to be great!" Gazzy pumped his fist in the air, "Everybody into the fort, let's watch!" He grabbed the remote and brought up the guide. Several channels I had never seen before appeared.

"How do you guys have all of these channels? These are banned," I noted.

They all looked each other and Fang said, "We still have our old satellite so we can get whatever we want. It's been approved by the mayor."

I highly doubted him, and assumed he was lying. I decided not to bring it up. This whole family was a circle of secrets.

"Nachos?" Nudge offered me. I shook my head. I was going to be in the school marathon next month, and I had to be a good example and be healthy.

"You aren't an eater of junk?" Gazzy asked, his eyes wide, "You don't belong here."

I wanted to sarcastically thank him for making me feel welcome, but I kept my mouth shut. They were just very different from me.

The first five seconds of CSI was gruesome. Within the first minute, a whole family was dead. I made a face. The scene was bloody, graphic and horrid.

"This is gross," I mumbled, "So much blood."

"Try to imagine seeing someone actually be cut up and-" Angel said, looking into my eyes.

"Angel..." Max warned.

"Have you seen someone cut up?" I asked her, a feeling of horror raising in my stomach. Just how many secrets were they keeping?

"We all have," Angel said, her eyes bore into mine. I looked away, her looking making me uncomfortable.

"She means on TV, of course," Iggy stated, tapping Angel's shoulder. She sighed and silenced herself.

I got up, "Maybe I should just go, this isn't really...entertaining." It really wasn't. Maybe I should like them mayor. He was protecting us from these graphic TV shows that would only sicken us.

"You are right," Max said, glaring at Iggy, perhaps for giving the idea to watch this. "How about just a game? LIFE?" She went out of the fort and returned with a board game. I had seen this before but never played it.

So we played, and there was laughter and Iggy made several sarcastic jokes. It made me realize just how close they were, with or without parents. They finished each others sentences, bickered and hugged.

It became dark, and I excused myself from the house. Max whispered something into Iggy's ear, he nodded and told me he was walking me home. I didn't mind. Walking around town at night had become my least favorite thing to do.

"I'm sorry about the CSI thing," Iggy apologized, "You haven't been to exposed to violence, blood and gore."

"And you have?" I asked, hoping he would tell me no. Iggy was just a teenager, like me. He didn't belong in a world of gore and murder.

"There are some good things about this town," Iggy said, mostly to himself.

"Like what?" I questioned.

"Safety," Iggy said, but I decided he only said that because it was what I wanted to hear. He seemed like he doubted that himself.

Iggy and I chatted the rest of the way, he told me goodnight and joked for me to keep my doors locked. I walked into the house and my parents were in their usual spot.

This was too predictable.

I had found a pattern in this. Every time they were in their usual spot, they spouted something shocking and made me freak out. The looks on their faces told me this was exactly what was about to happen. I quickly tried to make my ways up the stairs but of course, my mother spoke.

"I hope you haven't been watching things you shouldn't be."


	14. Day Fourteen

**Long chapter, this is. Sorry if it sucks. I'm really out of inspiration. PLEASE review, tell me it sucks, but please NO FLAMES, just give me constructive criticism. So, favorite and review(: **

** ALSO, be my BFF and follow ****.com**** that is my tumblr, and I really want followers! So, PLEASE follow that, and read this through! There WILL be more action coming along, but I'm trying to keep this somewhat realistic (you know, where something exciting doesn't happen every single second.) **

** And if you like romance stories, check out my fiction romance story(: ****.com/s/2961331/1/Big_City_Dreams**

Saturday.

The beautiful day of no stress, right?

Wrong.

My mom had ruined any chance of me getting a good night sleep. I sat on my bed and wrote in my diary. This was probably the only girlish thing I did. It was the only way I could get everything out. After quitting gymnastics when I got seriously hurt, I had no way to express myself. Nothing to be really passionate about. I wrote down the facts that I knew.

My parents knew everything.

I compared my parents to how they used to be. They used to always argue, fight, and throw things. I had never found that uncommon. I mean, I had watched movies where parents fought, and a few friends parents always fought. Now, they were perfectly in love. They were always on good terms, and trying to spend time with me.

Right now, that was the biggest mystery of my life. I pulled out my story notebook and wrote more about what I had found out about Iggy. Putting Iggy on paper was the hardest thing I had ever done. He was sarcastic, but never open. He was funny, but never stupid. He was dangerous but never careless. Putting him into a character in a story was something I had to achieve.

This only frustrated me.

So, I did something stupid. I reached under my bed and looked at the paper that was about the experiment. The only thing clear about this was that the experiment had human-like features. Maybe it wasn't a human. Maybe it was a cute bunny or even a mutated mouse. Humanized mice, woohoo!

I read through it and there were several dates. The date it was first experimented on, the date it got sick, the date it progressed and random mumbo jumbo. I grabbed my laptop and went to Google. Google in this town was limited. I searched the date and there was information about the library reopening and a festival that had occurred in this town.

The last link on the page stated, "GIRL DROWNED IN WILLIAMSHAM LAKE." Williamsham lake was just outside of town, and several people went there for picnics on Sundays. I clicked the link.

**PAGE BLOCKED. You do not have access to this page.**

I became even more frustrated. I took a deep breath.

So, I decided to go to the only place that I could think of. The only place that probably had unlimited internet access.

I was standing in front of Iggy's house. I knocked on the door, and this time it was Nudge who opened it.

"I'll grab Max," she said.

"I'm here for Iggy," I hoped I didn't sound rude. She shrugged her shoulders and told me I could go up to his room.

I wandered upstairs and just outside of his door was a black feather, with a white one next to it. Where did these feathers come from? Didn't Iggy say he had a sick bird? I hadn't seen a bird anywhere. I leaned over and picked it up. They were soft, clean, and large. These weren't little parakeet feathers. These were eagle sized. I slipped them into my back pocket, promising myself to check them out later.

Iggy was lying on his bed, playing around on his laptop. Gazzy was on the floor, using the other laptop.

"Dude, you shot me!" Gazzy yelled, and then looked up at me. "I'll go play in the other room." He winked at Iggy and then walked out. Strange kid.

"Do you have unlimited internet access?" I asked.

Iggy didn't flinch even though I was sure he hadn't known it was me who had walked in.

"Yeah," Iggy said.

"How do you play video games when you are blind?" I asked.

"Practice."

It didn't make any sense to me, but I laid down next to him on the bed, "I think I found something on the experiment but the web page is blocked on my laptop."

Iggy hesitated, "I thought we forgot about this whole experiment thing."

"I can't, Iggy," I sighed, taking his laptop from his hands, "I'm sorry but it's driving me crazy. Something is going on here. Do you agree with me?"

Iggy hesitated, like he did agree but didn't want to admit it. "I can't say anything." He sighed, "Let's just not dig too deep."

Iggy sounded tired, as if he had been up all night. There were bags under his pale eyes. His eyes really were beautiful. I blushed for even thinking it, and went to Google and searched the same thing. I clicked on the link, and an article appeared.

The article had a huge picture. I pulled out the experiment paper and the description of the experiment was exactly the same as the girl.

"Iggy..." I muttered, suddenly worried. I didn't want it to be a human subject to this experiment. I read the article out loud, "On Friday, July 20th, 12-year-old Elizabeth Tally, a town native, drowned in the lake just outside of town. It was a tragic accident. Iggy, how could they keep this quiet? I'm pretty sure no one knew about this. I never even met an Elizabeth Tally. She couldn't have been from here but this says she was a native to here."

"August 9th? That's the day before the new mayor came around," Iggy said, mostly to himself. I hadn't thought about that. He was right. That was the day before the mayor had come into power. No one knew what had happened to the old mayor. He had just disappeared.

"I think we should visit the cemetery," I decided, giving his laptop back, "Iggy, can you please help me out here. Something is going on here."

"Maybe the Tally's were a low key family," Iggy said, trying to convince me to not go crazy and do something stupid.

"I've been here my whole life. I know everybody," I replied, "Tally's have never lived here. Let's visit the cemetery, and if her grave isn't there, then the mayor is really hiding something from us."

"What brought this on?"

"My parents know I watched CSI last night. Iggy, how did they know?" I sighed. I wasn't freaking out, like you might think I was. I kept a chill tone, and kept my voice steady.

Iggy sighed, "I don't know." He said it in a tone that made me think he did know. "I can't help you with this. I'm helping my sister with a huge project."

"What project?" I asked, "Maybe I could help."

He shook his head.

"Please, just for today?" I suggested, ready to negotiate. He sighed and said only for today. We got out of bed.

Man, that sounds bad.

We slipped out of the house and went to the cemetery. The cemetery was small, gated and not very fancy. No one ever took care of the overgrown grass and rotting gravestones.

"Good thing this place is small," I looked at the name on a gravestone and the date. We would be looking for a new gravestone.

"I'm not going to be much help," Iggy stated.

"You are here for moral support, and besides, I'm scared to be here alone," I said, being completely honest. I had tried my hardest to avoid the cemetery at all costs.

"It's the middle of the day," Iggy snorted. I shoved him and he fell onto a gravestone. Fortunately, he didn't get hurt. I walked and looked at each name. After an hour, I had looked at every single name. Iggy had spent the hour being loud and sarcastic, and making dead people jokes.

He fell quiet when he realized how serious I was. "Her grave isn't here."

"Maybe they buried her somewhere else?"

"This is the only place any native would be buried," I stated, "We need to go to the town hall. They have their list of citizens there."

"They have them open to the public?"

I nodded, "We do a lot of town projects and school projects where we need to have the list of who lives here." It was only a five minute walk to the town hall, where we asked to see a list of citizens for the month of July and August. "It's for a school project," I lied, showing her my school ID, and felt bad to lie to the old woman who worked at the front desk.

She handed the lists and we went to a table and read it over.

"Oh my gosh, they did live here," I gasped, looking over at the names of Paul and Jessica Tally. There was not no mention of Elizabeth Tally. I looked at the address. That address seemed really familiar, but I didn't remember why. "Why isn't Elizabeth Tally listed as a citizen? This was posted July 2nd. She didn't die until the end of July."

Iggy had to admit this was strange. "Maybe they forgot to put in a name."

"A name of a soon-to-be dead girl?" I asked sarcastically, "Are you saying that is a coincidence?"

Iggy shook your head, "Maybe we should let this go. This is probably not even a big deal."

I shook my head and then looked at this month's list of citizens. The Tally's were not listed anymore. "They moved. Why don't I remember them? I've hosted middle school events, carnivals, and been to town meetings. Tally's have never showed up."

Iggy sighed, "Okay, you got me interested. I want to help you solve this."

This made me smile. I liked working with Iggy. And most of all, this felt like a realistic mystery movie or book.

"So, where is Elizabeth Tally's body and why isn't she listed in the citizenship list?" I wondered aloud.

I walk ed with Iggy back to his house, discussing the options.

"Perhaps she is really a man disguised as a young girl, and he had to fake his death and..." Iggy said, and I laughed. His theories were crazy, but I loved hearing about them.

I stayed on his front door and he stepped inside and closed the door. I didn't move for a second. Maybe we could hang out of the rest of the evening. I was about to knock on the door when I heard Iggy say, "We can't keep it from her forever. She's getting closer."

He had been talking to Max, both of them must have been standing right on the other side of the door. I stood there, wondering what they were talking about.

So, they do have a secret, I thought, and walked down the driveway, and down the road. I pulled out the feathers, and thought about what we had learned today.

This town has a secret.

Iggy and his family has a secret.

I was going to find out.


	15. Day Fifteen

**Elyse finds out Iggy's secret. YAY! I had SUCH a hard time writing this. Like, I didn't want her thoughts to be repetitive, but they almost had to be, just because it's what was realistic. Tell me if I should rewrite this. I will have another chapter out once I get plenty of reviews! Tell me what you think, loves 3**

One secret at a time. 

Iggy's secret was first. 

It was Sunday and overcast. The weather matched what I felt inside. Today, I was going to take a big risk.

Lying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling, planning everything out in my head. I felt my snake slither onto my tummy, and I stroked his head. I had to do this now, before I lost my guts. I slipped the snake off of me and stuck him in his cage. I slipped on my converse, pulled on my raincoat, picked up my bag that held my notebook and pen and stepped into the rain.

I rushed down the deserted street, and skidded to a halt at a red light. There was no traffic. I didn't dare cross until the green walk person flashed and I ran across the slick road.

I ended up behind Iggy's house. I was doing what every journalist did to get information. Spying. On the back of Iggy's house, there was a large window, and it looked into the living room. Right outside of the window was a bush. Perfect.

The window was wet, but I was still able to look through. I looked down and realized there were animal footprints in this bush. It looked like an animal had been spying on them too. That was crazy. I shook away the memory of the camera looking at Iggy's house.

I looked through the window and spotted Max and Gazzy standing in the middle of the living room. Gazzy had tears in his eyes, and he was exclaiming something, but I couldn't hear. Max was trying to comfort him. She took out a bottle of medicine, and handed a pill to Gazzy. He refused to take it.

The normal situation for a sick child. Maybe I was wrong…Maybe…I knew that I wasn't wrong. There was something about this "family" that put me on edge. Something was off. I just knew it. I watched for a few more moments, and nothing special happened.

Gazzy complained about something and Max glanced out the back window. She nervously scanned the scenery, as if to make sure no one was watching. She didn't see me behind the bush. I was safe. She said something to Gazzy and he took off his shirt. He turned and something extended from his back.

Wings.

I didn't scream. I didn't run. I didn't cry. I froze. I was in shock. My body, heart and mind couldn't operate. My eyes blurred and I blinked several times. I focused again. Gazzy had wings. How was that possible?

I wasn't imagining them.

It didn't make sense, but at the same time, it did.

Wings. Bird. Feathers. Bird books. No parents.

My mind tried to make sense of it all. Bird people didn't exist. They couldn't exist. They couldn't fly, right?

My body began to tremble. This was too much for me. I pulled out my notebook and wrote, "he has wings." Just in case I forgot when I got home and wrote my story. How could I forget? It was beginning to rain harder, so the paper got wet and the words smeared.

I stared into the window, gazing at Gazzy's wings. Was Iggy like him? Was Max like him?

I couldn't tell if my heart was beating so fast I couldn't feel it or if it had just stopped. Something rustled behind me. I turned and spotted something stepping behind a tree. Something was watching me. Something was watching them.

I gripped my notebook and shoved it in my bag. I had to get out of here without being seen. I glanced at the tree, and steadily slipped out of the bush and quickly ran behind the houses until I reached an empty intersection.

I heard a growl.

I twisted and glanced around. Nothing. I began to feel my heart thumping in my soaked chest. I bit my lip and looked for safety. Grocery store.

I wandered into the grocery store, and lifted my chin high. I had to pretend I was here to get…pizza. I slowly walked down the isles and bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I trembled, and looked at the face. "Iggy." My throat became dry, and I began to shake. I had to pretend I didn't see anything. I had to act normal.

Iggy goofily smiled, "Run into blind people often?"

"I didn't know blind people went grocery shopping," I said, forcing out the light words. I searched Iggy's face for something, anything that gave away his secret. His eyes were beautiful and bright, his face pale and gorgeous like a porcelain doll. He seemed so human. His face gave nothing away. So, why did I get this feeling that something was very wrong?

Iggy laughed, "I'm on my way to buy some ingredients for a bomb. Want to help?" He was acting like we had never found anything strange about this town. He was acting like I had no reason to suspect him. Yet, I had seen what happened in his house.

I wasn't breathing. I forgot to breathe. I took a deep breath, and exhaled. "I can't. I have to help plan homecoming."

Iggy's eyes looked me over and I had to remember that Iggy couldn't see me. He couldn't see my dark red hair, my green eyes or even what this grocery store looked like. He saw black. Darkness. He was stuck in an empty pit.

"Pick a good theme, but don't try too hard. I'm going to crash it," Iggy said. I admired his humor. I admired the way he could act like he was normal.

"Of course," I forced a smile and remembered he couldn't see. I didn't have to fake a happy expression. It was all in my tone of voice.

When he walked away, I watched his back, but he was wearing a jacket. He checked out and stepped into the rain. He turned to his right, and walked down the street. As if he was a normal person.

I noticed the cashier watching me. She was in her thirties, with long blonde hair and brown eyes. An odd combination. She was almost glaring at me. I felt shivery, so I grabbed a pizza and checked out and hurried home.

Reality hadn't hit. I had yet to realize what I saw was real. Gazzy had wings. Iggy probably had them too. It couldn't be real. My mind was in denial, and that was what caused me to act normal.

Would Iggy ever tell me? I highly doubted it. I'd known him for over two weeks, and I had almost considered us to be friends. Then, I realized why Iggy hadn't wanted me to snoop. That picture I had of the boy with wings. That was…real. Not photo shopped and Iggy had known.

As I walked down the driveway, I felt eyes on me. I froze and looked around. Again, there was nothing. I was becoming paranoid, and that was going to drive me insane. I hurried inside, and stuck the pizza in the freezer.

My parent's were out.

I hopped in the hot shower to wash away the cold rain. That's when reality hit me.

Gazzy had wings. The sweet, mischievous boy who seemed so normal was not normal at all. He. Had. Wings.

I took a fifteen-minute shower, and stepped out into the cool room. I wrapped a towel around my body, and went to my room. I pulled on a t-shirt and sweatpants and was about to lay on my bed when I noticed something.

A piece of paper.

I picked it up and it read, "Dig too deep and you'll never get out." It was in sloppy handwriting and it was damp. I stared at it for a long time.

This was real.

I looked out my window and noticed something running past my house. It disappeared as fast as it appeared. I trembled.

Dig too deep and you'll never get out. I ripped up the piece of paper and threw it in the trash. I grabbed my laptop. I had to write. I had to write what happened. It was the only way I wouldn't go crazy. I turned on my laptop, and words appeared on the bright screen.

"Say a word and you die."


	16. Day Sixteen

**Sorry, it's a filler chapter, but trust me, it's leading up to a LOT more action! I am leaving for vacation today and won't be back until Saturday, so I expect A LOT of reviews! No reviews, no new chapter! **

**ALSO, I plan on finishing this story until the VERY end. I don't care if I get tired of it, or don't get reviews. I will finish this. It might take a while, but it will happen! So don't worry about me dropping the story :P**

**So, tell me what you think, review and I'll post as soon as possible if I get lots of reviews :P Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll! **

Monday. 

School. 

My alarm clock blared, and like every teenage girl, I had Monday blues. I had to get to school early and make arrangements for homecoming. I could not decide on a theme to save my life. I was too distracted. 

I rolled out of bed, splashed cold water on my face, pulled on jeans and left the house.  
>It was a beautiful sunny morning, with the smell of last nights rain lingering in the air.<br>It's those moments that remind me to slow down and just breathe. I had a tendency to always be running, moving and these mornings told me that I had to stop and appreciate my surroundings. 

Too bad I was surrounded by secrets. 

I loved beautiful days as much as boys loved sports and Xbox360. 

"We voted on a theme without you, I hope that's okay," my friend said as I walked into school. We crowded around a small table and had coffee in our hands. 

"Sure," I said monotonously, even though I was very relieved on the inside. Less for me to do. 

"We decided on 'take flight' and our theme being like birds, because birds are free and that's what we want right now and..." my friend explained but I lost her at 'birds.'  
>I wanted to throw myself out of the window. I wanted to jump off a cliff. With a parachute of course. <p>

Birds? 

This couldn't be happening. 

"Sounds great, are we going to have it in 2 weeks?" I asked, pretending I wasn't having a panic attack. 

We finished up the meeting and I pulled out my notebook to sketch some drawings of decoration ideas. As homecoming committee leader, I was responsible for how the decorations would look. 

As I walked to class, I felt like I was being watched. It felt like someone was keeping tabs on me so I wouldn't spill. The note came to mind. The laptop message. I shuddered.  
>Iggy was already sitting in his seat. I had to pause at the doorway and take a deep breath. I couldn't tell him I knew. <p>

"Hey Iggy," I said casually. 

"So, what's the theme of the homecoming? I want my homecoming-crash-plan to have a corresponding theme," Iggy said and I hoped he was teasing. 

I had to force the word out, "Birds." I watched Iggy's face for any reaction. He gave none. 

"Hmm, maybe a dead bird in the punch?" he laughed at his own idea. I let a smile slip. 

"Would you like to see my idea for decorations?" and I let that slip too. Of course he didn't want to see my idea. He didn't, and couldn't, see anything. "I'm so sorry, I just...You seem so...not..." 

I didn't see Iggy during lunch. His seat was empty during last period. Then, I was called to the principle's office. 

I started sweating. Why was I going to the principle's office? I never went to the principle's office!  
>I stepped inside and saw Iggy sitting with Mr. Right. His face was grim and I knew this wasn't good. <p>

"Whatever it was, I didn't do it!" I panicked. 

Iggy snorted, "We need to work on your defensive, I'm-not-guilty skills." 

"Not now, Iggy. This is serious business. Elyse, please sit. You are not in trouble," Mr. Right calmed me. I looked in his eyes and I could see he was covering something. It seemed almost as if he hated me and was suffocating that hate with kindness. 

I didn't hesitate to sit down. Right now, he reminded me of the mayor. 

"Iggy set off a stink bomb in the girls bathroom during lunch. In that stink bomb was some peanut butter gas or something, and Kelly is allergic to peanuts. She was in the bathroom. She is being transported to the hospital." 

I was horrified, "Is she okay?" I felt so stupid asking that. Of course she wasn't okay! I wanted to hurt Iggy for hurting the poor, innocent girl. Kelly hadn't done anything wrong. 

"She will be fine. Anyway, I am having to punish Iggy, and part of his punishment is helping you decorate for homecoming," Mr. Right explained. 

Part of my plan had been to ignore Iggy so I didn't burst and tell him I knew his secret. That wouldn't work. "He's blind," I stated bluntly and immediately closed my mouth. That was offensive. I did not doubt Iggy's skills even though he was blind. "I mean, that's fine, sir. I'll put him to work." 

"Thank you, you both may leave." 

As soon as we left the office, Iggy started imitating Mr. Right. He did a growl like a bear, "Iggy was a bad boy." He did a high pitched, girly voice, "of course, sir! Anything for you!"  
>I laughed against my will, "That's not what I sounded like." <p>

Iggy nodded, "I loved how terrified you were when you walked into that office." 

"How did you know I was scared?" I asked, forgetting this boy had powers that I didn't completely understand. 

"I could feel it," he said with a goofy smile. Just like how I could feel something was off with him.

"So, when do we go shopping for supplies? When are the meetings? What colors are we doing?" he did a fake squeal, "Oh! I'm so excited." 

I groaned, "This is punishment for both of us..." 

Iggy did that serious look, "It's punishment for me not to get to see what you can do." sometimes he did that. He went from that goofy, immature boy to that man who was wise beyond his years.

He looked like a guy who had seen too much. 

If only I could see what he had seen. 

I told him goodbye, and then wondered if his little brother was still sick. If he was part bird-what did that mean about his health? 

As I walked away, I noticed something I hadn't noticed all day. Iggy had a dark bruise on his thin arm. It was black, purple and blue. It was fist sized and it looked like someone had punched him. 

It was time to find out more secrets. I just had to be careful. Someone knew what I saw in Iggy's backyard. I had to stay quiet. 

Yet, nothing was going to stop me from getting my questions answered. Nothing was going to stop me from writing a great story.


	17. Day Seventeen

**Thanks for the reviews! Sorry if this chapter is boring, but important, nonetheless! The next chapter is going to be really exciting (Iggy is going to find out what Elyse knows, eek!) also it includes homecoming (every girls dream/nightmare, am I right?) and so much more! **

**So, if you want to read that chapter soon, REVIEW THIS CHAPTER! **

**Tell me what you think! Tell me if you like it, dislike it, what I should add or take out! I also wanted to thank marshpelt for the in depth review! I am an aspiring author, and critique is what makes me a better writer! Thanks 3**

Perhaps the most amazing thing about people is their ability to accept and adapt. People move, change, and kill and adapt to that fact. For example, I accepted that Iggy's family was abnormal-such an understatement-and now I adapting to it. Either way, I still wanted to be Iggy's friend.

After school on Tuesday, before I had a chance to escape my house, my mother stopped me when I walked past the living room. My father was nowhere in sight, which was odd. When they confronted me, they did it together. This caused me to relax.

"Let's have a talk," mom said as she led me to the couch. I didn't relax anymore. My shoulders tensed and I gulped.

"I have yearboo-" I argued but didn't finish the word when she gave me a threatening glare. I forced a smile, "I already know about sex." I said it to lighten the mood but it did the opposite.

"I didn't know you to be so blunt," mom said, blinking a thousand times. That was her sign that she was irritated.

"I'm not," I told the truth. I knew when to hold my tongue, except for when I was nervous. I sat next to her on the couch, careful that we weren't touching. My mother's skin was always too warm and uncomfortable.

"Let's talk about your future," she stated and looked me over. She didn't mean the future I wanted, but the future she wanted for me. "You want to be a journalist." At least, that much was true.

"Yes." I decided short and simple was the best answer. I'd let her do all of the talking.

"Perhaps for the town newspaper? You don't need to go to college, what a waste! You could graduate high school and immediately become a journalist here! Isn't that great?" She seemed so enthusiastic. I watched my mother's face, her eyes, her lips and realized she was trying her hardest to convince me.

I panicked. What do I say? She and I both knew that would never happen. "I was thinking NYU." It was a bold, firm statement. Coming from my lips, it sounded so final.

"Oh, what has your past mayor done to you? She was so loose, I knew you were going to get ideas," mom sighed, wiping her forehead, "You aren't going to NYU."

"How about CSU? That's in state," I was willing to negotiate. I could break my mother and get her to argree to some college. That's what every mother was like. Somewhere, in the back of my head, I doubted this.

"You aren't going to college. Let's be realistic. Your options are limited. You are not going to college," mother snapped, and I saw her eyes change color. They tinted a different color, like a fiery red, and then I noticed her hiding her hands behind her back. She looked like a tiger about to pounce.

"Mom..." It came out weakly, because I didn't know what was going on with her. I didn't say anything else, because my mind was caught up with something else. She had said, "options are limited" which was exactly what I hadn't wanted to hear. I hated not being free. I wanted to leave.

I wanted oppurtunity. I didn't want limits or boundries. I looked into my mother's eyes. I wanted to yell at her for controlling me but I bit my lip. Something was wrong with her.

She was breathing heavily.

"I'm going to go to school now," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. The tension was choking me, and I couldn't find my voice, my breath and my heart was pounding. She didn't move as I got off of the couch, and walked to the door.

Then she said something else.

"You are never leaving this town."

I quickly slammed the door against me, taking in gulps of air. The environment inside of my house had become hostile. I held my hands against my head for a second, just trying to forget that my own mother was against me.

I walked to school, and I had this urge to tell Iggy. Or at least, the urge to see him. He always made the tension go away. I had to get out of town. Maybe Iggy, with his abnormal family, could help me. I pushed that thought away. It was crazy.

Iggy wasn't in school though. He hadn't been suspended, so I wondered where he was. I faked a smile around everyone, laughed with my friends, but the second the bell rang, I headed for Iggy's house.

Angel opened the door. I didn't even have to speak. "Iggy won't let anyone see him."

I frowned and decided I didn't care. "I'm his friend, and I want to see him." I didn't sound bossy, I sounded worried. I was worried. Angel didn't look surprised as I stepped past her and went up the stairs.

I opened Iggy's door.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?" I cried out. Iggy was lying on his back on his bed, covered in dark bruises. They weren't just dark, they were spotted yellow and pink.

"Fell off a cliff," Iggy said, his voice hoarse. He could barely crack a smile. I hurried over to him and looked at his face. Even his face had scattered bruises and scratches.

"Why aren't you at the hospital?" It just slipped out. He probably couldn't go to the hospital because he wasn't normal. The doctors would ask questions.

I was troubled. What was Iggy involved in that caused him to get so hurt? I looked at his leg, "Is your leg broken?" I couldn't imagine his pain, and could barely look at it without flinching.

"It'll heal," Angel suddenly spoke up, "You don't need to worry about him." I practically jumped out of my skin. "Iggy can't feel pain much." I wanted to ask her if she could read minds, but I held my tongue.

"I'm going to get an-" ice pack, I was about to say.

"Freezer, next to the ice cream," Angel said before I finished. I shuddered and she gave me this look. She smiled and put a finger to her lips, I won't tell. I jumped and skidded to the kitchen to get away from the creepy child. I grabbed an ice pack and hurried to his room.

"Where do you hurt the most?" I asked, gently.

"Everywhere," Iggy smiled, "Wanna kiss me where it hurts? It'll make me feel better."

"I want to smack you," I forgot to hold my tongue. I placed an ice pack on his shoulder, and he flinched. I wanted to assure him that I wouldn't peek at his back. But I did. I slightly held him up, and took a peek down his shirt. White feathers.

I did it so fast, no one really noticed.

Iggy was like Gazzy.

I pretended I didn't see.

Iggy groaned and said, "I hurt, hold my hand?" He turned his head beside me. I jumped when I noticed Gazzy had appeared next to me as well. "You said she's hot, right?" I took a long look at Gazzy, and could tell he wasn't well either. Just standing looked painful.

This family was in pain.

I frowned, half because I was worried for them, and half because did it matter if I was hot or not?

"It's okay, when he hurts, he goes too far to lighten the mood," Angel spoke up and I flinched. She really needed to stop doing that.

Iggy patted the small spot next to him on his bed, and I decided to comply. I laid down next to him, our shoulders just touching. It was a friendly gesture.

"Are you sure you are okay?" I asked him, quietly.

"Yes, just a little beat up," Iggy smiled, "You are acting like my mother."

"Where is your mother, by the way?" The question slipped out, and I had to remember to hold my tongue. It was so hard around him.

"Africa on a mission's trip," Iggy replied, but he blinked his eyes a few times and suddenly he was distant.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked.

Iggy smiled, "I remember what my parent's look like, before I was blind. I remember their eyes, their skin tone, their hair. I wonder if they've changed it since then. I was just a baby when I last saw them, but I remember." His smile was so genuine, and I knew his memory of them was so beautiful. His eyes said it was tragic though.

"Iggy, are your parents dead?" I asked gently, hoping it wasn't a harsh question.

"No." It was so short and distant, I wasn't sure if I believed him.

"Okay, get some sleep. I'll be back after school tomorrow, and the next day."

"Yes, mom," Iggy teased.

Slowly, his eyes fluttered closed.

"Oh Iggy, what happened to you?"

_Who did this to you?_


	18. Several Days Pass

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**I have rewritten this chapter at least 6 times. I don't know how I feel about it. I hope it's not confusing or anything. It has action, so I hope ya'll enjoy that. I know-homecoming is such a cliché scene, but that's life, right? **

**Anyway, I will not write anything else until I know if you are satisfied with this chapter. Tell me EXACTLY what you think! I'm hoping for A LOT of reviews. **

**If you are reading this, review it. PLEASE.**

_The city was in flames, and sirens sounded in the distance. Creatures and humans ran wild. I was running down Main Street, calling Iggy's name. My hair was singed and I was covered in blood and ashes. _

_ A building collapsed and sent debris rolling down the road. I could not see anything for a prolonged moment. This was the end of the town, the world. When I could see, I spotted Iggy. I was about to call out to him when someone caught me by the neck._

_ I choked. _

_ Iggy saw me but didn't move. Then I saw the problem. His family- Max, Fang, Nudge, Gazzy and Angel- where being held in a cage, and they were about to die. He couldn't save us both._

_ It was them or me. _

_Either/or._

I woke up, sweat pouring down my forehead. Those dreams were coming more often. This one had been the most intense. I shuddered and try to push away the dream. It seemed so real. I could still smell the burning town. My burning town. I looked around. Everything was normal. Nothing was on fire. Today was just another day.

Iggy didn't return to school for over a week, even though his leg healed within the first few days. I just pretended I didn't notice how he faked pain. I went to see him every day after school, where we would lay on his bed and talk.

Sometimes we talked about pizza, but sometimes we talked about other places in the world. Paris, Rome, London, he had been everywhere. He would tell me the sounds and smells, and I would just lie there, imagining it. I wanted to go to those places.

On Friday, I came over with a mission. "You are going to Homecoming. You were able to skip out on decorating, so you can at least, go."

"Why do you even want to go? Last time I checked, you didn't go dances," Iggy replied, smirking like he was right and I was wrong.

"I'm on the dance committee, school council, yearbook, writing club, I work on the newspaper, and I have to be there for them!" I replied, crossing my arm and cocking my hip.

Iggy smiled, "Fine, I'll go. But I plan on crashing it."

I shrugged. I just didn't want to go alone. I didn't mind. At least he was coming. No one had asked me and I didn't care. Boys were immature, disrespectful and loud. They were distractions to what mattered.

Maybe a part of me was hurt. I was part of everyone's lives-everyone knew me and I knew everyone. How could not one single boy ask me to the dance? It's not that boys _should _ask me, but everyone else had someone-I refused to be jealous.

I was going with my almost-best-friend, which was good enough. The key word was 'almost' because he was keeping secrets from me. Secrets. Secrets don't make friends, but friends make secrets.

Homecoming was Saturday, and mother went out and bought me a dress. She was actually enthusiastic about this. Maybe she thought it would help me get my mind off of things.

The dress was a unique shade of blue, and it was strapless. It clinched around my waist, and a lacy skirt that went to my knees. Mom curled my hair. We stayed quiet as she got me ready.

"No makeup," I insisted, trying to fight her hand away. She glared at me and applied eye make-up, blush and lipstick.

"Look at yourself," mom said, looking at me in a new way. I hesitantly looked in the mirror. I didn't think I looked pretty. Too made up and overdone. I felt pretty though. I slipped on my TOMS and walked to school. Iggy met me there. We both walked into the gym and my jaw dropped.

Everything was so beautiful. There were paper birds hanging from the ceiling, and a huge bird on the wall. The ground was white and the walls were flashing blue. There were fans so it felt like a breeze. It was stunning.

"How does it look?" Iggy asked, blankly looking at nothing.

"Perfect," I answered. I was being completely honest. Everyone was smiling, drinking punch and dancing. Before I even had time to dance, I noticed a hairy creature in the corner. Something felt off.

I glanced at Iggy but didn't say anything.

"Are you okay?" Iggy asked, because somehow he knew I didn't feel right.

"Fine," I lied with a fake smile, "Let's dance!" I glanced over to the corner. The creature was gone.

"Great costume!" someone laughed from right behind me. I turned and spotted it ten feet away. I knew it wasn't a costume.

"Iggy, let's go to the roof," I whispered, thinking it was the only safe place to go. The staircase that led to the roof was always locked, but I had a spare key. The creature couldn't get up there.

"Why?" he asked, oblivious to what is going on.

"Please," my voice unwillingly cracked. I grabbed Iggy's wrist and dragged him past the creature. I glanced back. It was following us. I reached into my little purse and pulled out the school keys. I found the one to unlock the door that led to the roof.

I threw open the door and locked it behind us and we walked up the staircase. Fresh air had never felt so good. It was dark, a cloud covered the moon and the stars weren't shining. There was a slight breeze that felt good on my skin.

"Why the roof?" Iggy finally asked.

_If you can't run away, run up,_ I thought. I looked at Iggy and wondered how it was so easy for him to pretend to me. Everyday I talked to him, and he never hinted having a secret. I almost slipped a hundred times every second, but I didn't because I was a good secret keeper. Also because I was scared.

"What really happened to you?" I asked, the bruises on his arms were still slightly visible.

"Gaz and I blew up something and the debris hit me," Iggy said, his voice so smooth that I almost believed him.

Before I could call him a liar, the staircase door flew open and the creature stood there.

"Is it-?" Iggy asked, his whole body tensing. He sniffed the air. He could smell and identify it.

"Bad!" I croaked. Maybe the roof wasn't a good idea. I had never been in this situation, so I had no idea what was best.

We were cornered. I had never seen such a creature before. It had an awkward human stance, but fur covered its body.

Iggy whistled for some reason, so loud I almost covered my ears. I didn't question him though. This was no situation for talking.

The creature growled and lunged towards us.

I was helpless. You know when you watch a movie, and the main girl is a wimp and never does anything? That was me. What could I do? Nothing. I didn't cry though.

The creature grabbed Iggy but he did a roundhouse kick and it skidded away from him. The creature pushed Iggy aside and went for me. It grabbed me and flung me around. I landed on the concrete roof with a bang, and then I heard something worse. My ankle cracked. Pain seared through me.

The creature wasn't after Iggy.

It was after me.

The creature reached towards me, and I didn't even have time to scream. My body was screaming from pain. I could feel blood slipping down my legs. My dress was torn. It kicked my abdomen and then pushed me closer towards the edge of the roof.

I lay there, unable to do anything.

It grabbed my neck and I looked in its eyes. It's eyes seemed almost…human. Its eyes were angry, confused and deadly. It banged my head against the roof. I bit my lip to keep myself quiet. My vision became blurry and blood trickled down my forehead and neck. I couldn't find the strength to move away from the creature.

Then the creature looked up, and its creepy eyes widened. Something flew up behind me. Suddenly, Max was kicking at the creature. I didn't feel the pain anymore. I was numb.

I just watched everything unfold in front of me. My head was pounding, and I could feel my heart beating inside of my chest.

"Erasers!" Max yelled. I didn't move. Her wings. Then I noticed Fang, Nudge, Gazzy and Angel. They had such stunning wings. They could actually fly.

Iggy joined but didn't withdraw his wings. He kicked at the "eraser" and Fang punched and Nudge pushed it off the roof. They were such a great team. A family. When the eraser fell from the roof, I heard a crunch as it hit the concrete below.

"There will be more soon," Max said as she wiped her hands against her dirty jeans. They all looked towards me.

"Is she okay?" Iggy asked, since he couldn't see. He had a bloody nose, but otherwise looked unharmed. The others looked untouched.

"I don't think so," Fang muttered, kneeling down beside me. I didn't know if I could move. I had been pushed to the ground, kicked around, banged up, and skidded across the roof. I had never had such physical abuse.

"I think my ankle is shattered," I forced the words out. "I can't feel anything else."

"I'm sorry you had to find out about us this way," Iggy muttered.

Angel was the one who came to my aid, "She already knew." Iggy showed a shocked expression.

"This isn't the time," Max snapped, "Let's get her to our house."

"The hospital!" Iggy argued.

"How are you going to explain this?" Max asked, gesturing towards my broken body.

"She could die!"

Iggy looked at me and looked at them. It was either their house so no one questioned what happened to me, or it was the hospital where I could be taken care of.

"We have done first aid before," Nudge spoke up, "We can see what we can do at our house."

Fang picked me up and flung us off of the roof.

We didn't fall.

We flew.


	19. Day TwentyEightTwentyNineThirty

**I am so sorry for not updating in a while! Finals are coming up! You know how school is…I only have two years left, I can do this, right? Right…Anyway, this chapter has a lot of emotional stuff, like Elyse finally questions her feelings for Iggy, her life and this really makes everything take a turn for the worse/better. There will be a lot of action, mystery, and *giggleromancegiggle* coming up! **

**If you want another chapter soon, you must show interest by reviewing! **

**Thanks for all of the previous reviews! They meant a lot and really inspired this chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

Day 28/29/30

I blacked out before Fang's wings caught the wind. I wasn't able to feel the breeze or smell the fresh air. I would have to imagine what it felt like. Maybe it felt like a fan in front of my face. Maybe it smelled like a forest. I wouldn't know, not yet. I slipped in and out of unconsiousness as they moved me to their house. I heard whispers of exposed secrets, danger and the end of the world. Perhaps I imagined the last part.

"This could ruin the plan," I heard a voice say, but I couldn't match the voice to a face. Everything was blurry. I couldn't feel, see, or sense anything. I tried not to panic. Where was I? What was happening?

"This is part of the plan," another voice spoke up, this one unfamiliar and low. There was silence and I supposed there was an unwelcomed guest.

"Jeb," a voice said shortly, and I identified it as Max's. I could imagine her crossing her arms and cocking her hip. she was probably glaring too.

It seemed like hours later when I finally fell into consiousness permanently. I had a headache, it hurt to move, and everything was blurry. I almost wished I wasn't consious. The real world was too confusing, too detailed, and way too harsh. I blinked my eyelids and looked around. I was in Iggy's room. I could tell from the plain white walls, scarce furniture but there was an overload of items on the floor.

I turned my head to face a newcomer. He had a friendly face, but wore a white coat. I remembered the way Iggy would flinch whenever someone said white coat. I had decided it was for a good reason. This man did not seem like a threat though. He was, afterall, in Iggy's house.

"Hello dear, you've had quite the adventure," the man said with a side smile, "I'm Jeb." I remembered Iggy saying his dad's name was Jeb. I figured that was probably a lie. Jeb looked nothing like Iggy, and I had decided Iggy's parents were probably dead. Either that or he was a test tube baby, and didn't have parents. That would almost explain the wings.

I shifted to sit up right on the bed. I nodded stiffly, and tried to ignore the pain in my head and foot. I glaned down and noticed a cast on my ankle. Oh no, not again.

"I would like to explain what is going on," Jeb said gently. I looked in his eyes, searching for what he was trying saying. As an aspiring journalist, I had learned to tell when people are lying or telling the truth. How can a journalist be a good reporter if all their information is based on lies they are told? All I was spotted was sickly sweetness. The sweetness that made kids naseous from too much candy.

"You mean lies," I replied, forcing my voice to be heard. My throat was dry. I probably sounded cranky.

Jeb looked shocked for a second but quickly covered up with a mask, "Perhaps I should have someone you trust tell you."

I nodded, but what I wanted to say was, "I don't trust anyone." And honestly, I didn't. I didn't trust my parents, my friends, or this man sitting beside me.

"Should I bring Max in?" he asked, standing up.

"Iggy, please," I suggested. It wasn't that I didn't like Max, but I didn't really know her. I liked to think I knew Iggy. Iggy nodded, but I could tell he would have rather had Max come in. He left the room and a few seconds later, Iggy walked in. I was glad he couldn't see me. I was probably a train wreck. I looked pathetic and weak because I sure felt like it.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Iggy said, finding the bed and lying next to me. The way we would before this happened.

"It's okay, it's not like you could tell just anyone you have wings," I replied, hoping I wasn't just anyone. Perhaps if Iggy could have seen my pleading face, he would have understood my double meaning. Instead, he wasn't able to find the hidden message.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew?" he asked, looking straight ahead. I shifted uncomfortably and looked at Iggy's shoulder. For a split second, I had this urge to put my head on his shoulder. The second the idea crossed my mind, I pushed it away. This wasn't the time or place. I didn't have those feelings for Iggy, right? Right? This wasn't the right time to come up with a conclusion. Instead, I just placed my head against the hard headboard. I could support myself. I took a deep breath, trying to find the right answer.

"I didn't want anything to change," I decided honesty was the best policy. I wasn't completely honest. I didn't want him to know I knew so I could do some research. That hadn't worked out so well.

Iggy nodded and I wondered what he was thinking. We were silent for a second. It wasn't awkward. It was just a time for deep thought.

"Iggy, what was that thing that attacked us?" I finally asked. I had heard the word "eraser" but all that came to mind was a pencil eraser. What I saw was definitely not a pencil eraser.

"They are experiments. We call them erasers, who knows why," Iggy was able to smirk, "They attack us all the time. They are the bad guys." That's when I realized maybe there was good and bad in this wasn't as simple as I thought it would be.

"Are you an...?" I couldn't say the word. It had crossed my mind. A human experiment. I shuddered at the thought. We were in America. America doesn't experiment on humans. Rats, maybe.

"I'm an experiment. I was taken from my parents," Iggy said, and I could hear a bitter tone. That bitter tone that he got when he talked about his parents.

"There's more to that story," I said, knowing I was prying. But this was honesty time. I hoped he would tell me everything. Not for my story, but because I wanted to know.

I cared.

"I met my parents a while ago. They treated me like I was a money making machine. They liked my wings better than me," Iggy looked straight ahead. No smile. Almost no emotion.

I wanted to know his whole life story. Yet, I had a feeling I wasn't going to get it. Not today.

"Why are those erasers after you?" I asked.

"I can't tell you," Iggy replied.

Great, more secrets.

I decided not to nag.

"What's with the mayor?"

"Can't tell you that either."

"Who's Jeb? Is he good?"

Hesitation. "No answer."

I bit my lip, trying to think of other questions. Here I was, stuck in Iggy's bed, with no answers and my head swarming with questions.

I took a deep breath and said, "Okay." I wasn't getting anywhere. "How long have I been here?"

"Two days," Iggy stated as if that was normal.

I had a panic attack. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it stopped. "WHAT?" What did my parents think? What did the town think? That meant it was Monday! "My parents!"

Iggy didn't say anything, "Perhaps you shouldn't go outside for a while. This town isn't safe for you."

I forgot how to breathe. "What do you mean?"

I wished Iggy could look me in the eyes and tell me what he meant. What did he mean when he said this town wasn't safe for me? Why shouldn't I go outside? What did my parents think? What did my friends think? The dead eraser on the concrete?

There was too much going on in my brain. Iggy reached out and touched my shoulder. It was affectionate and calming. "Breathe," he smiled. How could he smile at a time like this?

"I…I…" For once, I was at a loss of words. Finally, I said, "Iggy, tell me what's going on. This includes me so I have a right to know."

Iggy opened his mouth but the door flew open and Max said, "The house is surrounded by erasers!"


	20. Day Thirty continued

**Sorry that it's been so long since my last update. I've been studying for finals like crazy. School is almost out, so I will be updating more over Christmas break. I've just been SO busy with my new boyfriend, and getting good grades. Anyway, sorry if this chapter sucks. I tried my best! PLEASE tell me if you like it or not! A quick review MEANS A LOT! I won't update until I get plenty of reviews! Enjoy 3**

One eraser had been bad enough. When I leaned out of the bed and glanced out the window, I saw at least a dozen of them in the backyard. Shiver ran down my spine. I wasn't ready for this.

"We should leave," Iggy suggested.

"Gazzy can't fly and we can't breathe her," Max calmly walked into the middle of the bedroom. She looked at me like this was my fault. Maybe it was my fault that her family was in danger.

"We can't stay," Iggy argued, standing up and finding his way to Max. "The whole town knows who we are. They will fight with the erasers. We are outnumbered."

Max glanced at me, "What about her?" I wanted to say, "Stop talking about me like I'm not here." I kept my mouth shut.

Fang appeared in the doorway, "It's obvious. We send Elyse back to her house and we leave. We can come back when we are ready." He looked at me, and he didn't look bitter like Max. He looked at me like he understood what I was going through. I don't think I understood what I was going through. I had become numb. I was confused.

Max faced Fang and searched his face. That's when I realized that Max trusted Fang more than she trusted herself. She just would never admit it. "I can carry Gazzy."

It was like I wasn't there. They weren't panicked about the erasers outside of the house. They weren't attacking us yet.

"We can give Elyse to the erasers and they'll take her home," Max announced after a moment of silence.

WHAT?

Iggy was first to speak, "We don't know that."

"We do," Angel popped her head into the room, "Oh, we have one hour and six minutes before they attack this house. We should leave in about an hour."

I ignored her. My mind was racing and my heart pumping fast, "You are going to give me to the erasers?" I thought these people were my friends! "Why?"

"Iggy, you should explain," Fang said gently, giving me a sad look. The others left the room, and it was just me and Iggy. There was a prolonged silence.

"Why would you give me to the erasers?" I finally asked again. I almost didn't want to know the answer. I couldn't figure out why they would do something like that.

"The erasers work for the mayor and the mayor wants you home," Iggy explained. I couldn't tell if he believed himself.

"But the eraser tried to kill me," I replied, trying to make sense of this.

"The eraser tried to warn you," Iggy said, "It just went a little too far."

"You said the town knows who you are," I mentioned.

"Yes."

"When did they find out? Two days ago?" I asked. If so, then it was my fault they had been found out.

"They knew the second we arrived," Iggy answered. No, that couldn't be right. A normal town like mine would have never let his family stay if they had known who they were.

"You are lying," I didn't mean to say it so nastily. I was confused and a little bit scared. "Please tell me you are kidding." I looked at his face and realized he wasn't kidding. The whole town had known. Except me.

"Why did everyone else know but not me?" I asked, closing my eyes and reminding myself to breathe.

"There are some things that I can't tell you," he said, and came over to the bed. He put his hand on my shoulder, "We are going to give you to the erasers, they will take you home, and everything will go back to normal. We will probably return when things are better."

"Why are you here?" The question had been burning in my mind ever since I had discovered who they were.

"We have a mission," Iggy said.

"What is the mission?" I asked.

Iggy didn't say anything for a second and then said, "We are going to save the world from the bad guys."

"Like the mayor," I finished.

He nodded.

"So why are you going to leave me here when the mayor is the bad guy?" I asked. Iggy didn't answer and I knew that I didn't want my question to be answered. But at the same time, I did. I wanted to know. I just was scared of what he was going to say.

"You are supposed to stay here, it is part of the plan," he said, and I knew he was avoiding the real reason.

"I need to help pack up the stuff and get ready to leave. We'll come get you when we are about to leave," Iggy said, "You'll be fine, Elyse. No one is going to get hurt again."

"I don't want you to leave," I finally admitted. Who knows how long it would be until I saw him again after I left this house.

"I don't want to leave either. I would like this town if it wasn't for…" Iggy's voice trailed off and started for the door.

"The mayor?" I hopefully finished for him. There was a look in his eyes that said that wasn't what he was going to say. "If it wasn't for what, Iggy?"

"I would like this town if it was real," he finally finished and he left the room. I sat there, stunned. What did he mean, if this town was real? This town was very, very real. I lived here, that was proof enough.

I sat on the bed, in the messy room, alone. I was left to my own thoughts and it was terrifying. They were going to give me to the erasers! I was hurt. I was scared. Iggy was leaving.

I felt vulnerable now. I felt unsafe without the safety of Iggy and his family. Everything was going to change.

Change is scary.

I didn't want anything to change. I didn't want to view my parents or my town in a different way. I didn't want Iggy to not be my friend anymore.

I sat alone for an hour. So many theories popped into my head. Did I live in a different universe? Was this a dream? Was I dead? Yet, logic always overcame every theory. I was awake and this was real. I was alive. For now.

Iggy came and helped me out of the bed. I leaned against him so I didn't have to step on my hurt leg.

"Does it have to be this way?" I asked as he helped me down the stairs.

"Unfortunately. As inconvenient as it is, you get used to it," Iggy explained and finally, Max opened the front door and Iggy led me outside.

There was a circle of erasers waiting for me.

I stopped breathing.

I stopped feeling.

I was terrified.

Before Iggy let go of me, I turned to him, "You said the mayor was a bad guy, and these erasers work for him. They are bad too. You said I belong here. Is it because I'm bad too?"

"You don't mean to be, but you are," Iggy whispered into my ear. His breath was warm against my ear.

"I'm not!" I cried out, "I'm good! Don't give me to them!" I was panicking. I couldn't do this.

Just as I said that, the group of erasers attacked the house. Iggy handed me over to a single eraser, who stood still. The other erasers ran towards the house, and Iggy kicked and flung himself away from the claws.

Max raced out of the house and stood next to Iggy. She warned him where they were, but it seemed like Iggy didn't need the help. Fang came out of the house and yelled, "Gazzy is cornered in the house! We can't help him!"

I struggled to get away from the eraser. I had to help them! I didn't know if I could help them, but I wanted to try. I couldn't just stand here and watch. The eraser looked at me and gripped my wrist. It burned.

"Be there in a sec!" Max yelled back as she fended off an eraser from behind. Iggy defended the front of the house. He was so graceful and strong. He seemed to sense what the eraser would do next.

An eraser growled at me, and I bit my lip. They were the scariest things I had ever seen. Their eyes were so human, but everything else wasn't.

The eraser that held me gripped my throat and squeezed. I started to gag. I couldn't breathe.

Max glanced over and saw what was happening. The eraser wasn't going to take me home. This eraser was going to kill me.

"She's defected!" the eraser yelled, its voice hoarse and cold. Who was defected? Me? The eraser's grip tightened and I thought I was going to explode. Tears ran down my face.

Iggy couldn't see what was going on, but he seemed to know what the eraser meant, "They aren't going to send her home, they are going to dispose of her! The mayor deemed her defected!"

So, there we stood in Iggy's backyard, surrounded by erasers. I was dying, Gazzy was inside being attacked, and it was pure chaos.

I was close to passing out.

"I take her," the eraser growled, and took a step away from the house. There was a scream from inside and it was Nudge's.

Gazzy and Nudge were stuck in the house.

"We have to help Elyse," Iggy yelled.

"We have to get Nudge and Gazzy out of the house!" Max said as she kicked the last eraser to the ground. The rest of the erasers were in the house.

Iggy looked my way, but all he saw was black. He took a deep breath.

He ran for the house.

The eraser took me away.


	21. Day ThirtyOne

**Sorry it's so short. I just got home from my last day of school (YAAYY!) and this is what I came up with. I hope you like this chapter! If you would like another one soon, please review!**

I was terrified. I was hurt, mentally and physically. I tried to understand why Iggy hadn't saved me. Family came first. I was just a girl who got in the way. Yet, I wasn't thinking logically. There were other things on my mind too. I was "defected." What did that even mean? They were going to dispose of me?

The eraser carried me for hours. Time passed slowly, and finally it became dark. I was tired, hurt, and betrayed. I couldn't fight this thing. I had to simply stay limp and do nothing.

We slowed and approached an abandoned warehouse. The windows were broken and boarded. We were in the middle of nowhere. Inside, there were cages. Hundreds of cages. The worst part was that the cages weren't empty.

Humans.

Children.

Not normal children. Eyes that glowed. Bat ears. Claws as nails. Wings.

Innocent, beautiful children.

IN CAGES.

This couldn't be real. These things didn't happen. Not to me. Not in my normal life. These children couldn't really exist. Yet, I could clearly see them. There was a single lamp in the middle of the room. It casted shadows across the bare and cracked walls.

The eraser dropped me and I landed with a thud. My leg burned and screamed. It tried to drag me to a cage. No, I wouldn't be caged up. I wouldn't let this happen. I had spent years fighting for my freedom, and it wasn't going to end here.

I had to fight.

I pushed the eraser from me and it stumbled back in surprise. Then it pulled itself together and tried to grab my neck. I ducked and kicked its ankle. It let out an angry growl, and its eyes flashed red. The eraser grabbed me.

The eraser was stronger and bigger than me. Either way, I wouldn't go down without a fight.

I went down. Hard. The eraser dragged me into a cage. I kicked and punched to no avail.

The eraser shut the cage and I was stuck. I was experiencing my worst nightmare. Freedom was gone. I looked around, trying to find a way out. I met eyes with a young boy, no older than 6. He had frighteningly pale skin, green eyes and red hair. He seemed so normal.

Then he weakly smiled and showed his teeth.

Fangs.

He waited for me to show off what I had. I shook my head. I wasn't an experiment. I didn't have wings or special abilities.

Why was I here?

I wouldn't cry, even though I was shaking with fear.

Did my friends miss me at school?

Did my parents notice my absence?

Was Iggy okay? Did Gazzy get out of the house? Were they alive? I hoped the best for all of them. Then, finally, logic ran back to me. I had a moment of realization. Of course, Iggy hadn't saved me! I was a girl he had known for a month! He had known his family for a whole month. He had to keep them alive.

Logic didn't make anything hurt less.

I looked for the lock on the cage, and it was easy to miss. It was a tiny lock, no bigger than an iPod shuffle. I couldn't tell how it was supposed to be opened. I wasn't good with locks, I had never messed with one before.

Too bad I wasn't one of those girls from the movies who randomly knew awesome skills like pick-locking or seducing their captor. Unfortunately, my captor was very unsexy and was probably immune to seduction. Not that I would ever try.

So, I sat there, thinking of a way out.

I wanted Iggy to be there with me.

That thought crossed my mind several hours later. I had been left alone to my own thoughts, and that is what I discovered. I missed Iggy. I had always felt safe with him, and I needed him more than ever. Maybe he was flying over Europe right now. He could be at the top of the Eiffel tower. He could be anywhere in the world.

I wondered if he thought of me. Or did I not matter? Why had Iggy even socialized with me when he had been there for a mission?

Questions raced through my mind as I devised impossible plans. I thought of pushing my cage over and the lock breaking open. Yet, there wouldn't be enough force to do such a thing. I thought about getting all of the other children to start a riot and the eraser would let us go. The children ignored me.

I heard a few children whisper, but it wasn't in English. Chinese, or something.

I never stopped shaking. It was cold, musty and dark. Finally, I got tired of sitting there. The cage was only a few feet tall, so I couldn't move. I had to do something.

I looked across from me at the younger boy. He had seemed disappointed that I had nothing to show.

"Hey," I forced myself to speak. All of the heads turned towards me. "I'm Elyse. So, what is your story?"

The little boy looked around, making sure I was talking to him. He looked at me, "I'm 2031." I bit my lip, trying not to act so surprised. The poor boy didn't even have a name. These beautiful, innocent children didn't even have identities.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, searching for the right questions to ask.

"I grew up here."

I opened and closed my mouth several times, shocked. He had never left this place? I looked around and everyone else was nodding. They all had been here since they were…born? Created?

"What is the outside world like?" the little boy asked me, his eyes full of wonder. Through the darkness, I could see cuts and bruises on his small, frail body. Were they tortured?

"Big, colorful," I thought for a second, trying to find the words to describe how amazing the world was. "There are a lot of friendly people. Also, there are really big mountains and beautiful oceans." Of course, I wouldn't know anything about the beautiful oceans. I had always dreamed of going to the beach and stepping into the chaotic ocean.

"You don't know what ability you have?" the little boy asked after a few seconds.

"I don't have one."

"Oh, but you do." The little boy was 5 feet away, and I could feel his certainty. I shook my head and then suddenly it became quiet. The door swung open.

In the doorway, I saw a familiar face.

I bit my lip in fear.


	22. Day ThirtyTwo

**THANK YOU for the reviews! They truly do mean a lot to me! You have inspired this chapter! GUESS WHAT! Most of your questions will be answered in this chapter. I know it is a lot of dialogue, but trust me, action is to come. This will just get the story moving and Elyse finds out what is going on with the town! **

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I wished I hadn't recognized his face. It would have made life so much easier. Okay, not really. Still, his face was shockingly familiar and I felt even more betrayed.

"Ah, there you are," Jeb walked sauntered over to me, a flashlight in his hand. The other children turned to look at me, jealousy in their eyes. They wanted the attention, even if the attention wasn't good. I was worth something, and they felt like they weren't.

Why was he here? Wasn't he supposed to be good? Yet, there he stood, a smile on his face. I was in a cage and he acted like it was the most normal, pleasurable place to be.

I gulped, and tried to swallow so my throat wouldn't be so dry. "Is Iggy okay?"

Jeb let out a loud laugh, and it disturbed me. The children tensed and brought their knees to their chests. It was all they could do to defend themselves from this man. Whoever this man was. "Ah, always thinking about others, this is good. That's exactly how you are supposed to be. I wanted to ask him what he meant, but I knew he wouldn't tell me. Who was he to say how I was supposed to be? "Yes, they got out okay. It was a close one."

"You knew the erasers were going to get rid of me, but you didn't tell them," I stated, a nasty tone in my voice. I quickly bit my lip. That tone did not fit me. "Why?"

"You were distracting them from their mission. They think you are part of this, but you aren't. You are a girl that's getting in the way," he replied, coming closer to my cage. I didn't shrink away from him. I was in a cage, but I was not going to show how vulnerable I was.

"Let me out," I asked, knowing that he wouldn't. It was worth a try though. Whenever I watched movies, I always laughed at the characters who begged for freedom. They were so silly for thinking they would get it. Either way, I had to try, even once.

"I will," Jeb shocked me by saying. He reached into a pocket of his white coat and pulled out a delicate little key. "Under one condition."

No matter what, I wasn't going to say, "Anything." My standards were still high, even in a cage. I could survive several decades in this place. That was a lie, but I had to convince myself. I waited for him to tell me this condition.

"You pretend you have never seen Iggy or the others. You pretend you don't know what's going on," he replied.

"I don't know what's going on, so that'll be easy," I replied, although that probably wasn't a smart thing to say. I probably should have kept my mouth shut.

"See, that's the problem. I'm going to tell you exactly what's going on and you are going to have to live with it. If you whisper even a little word about this, you die," he said with a smile, as if he was enjoying this. He probably was.

"This is a test," I realized, "This is to find out if I'm _defective _or not." Again, that nasty tone came back when I said defective. Perhaps it was because I was angry that they got to decide if I was defective or not. That wasn't fair. Then again, life isn't fair.

"You catch on quickly," he replied, acting as if he was proud. As if he had created what I had become. As if he was a father who had just watched his son get his first touchdown or win his first trophy. That made me sick.

He opened my cage and I cautiously stepped out. Turning, I saw all of the kid's faces. They hated me. They were jealous of me. I was free, and they were not. Yet, even though I was out of the cage, I still felt trapped. They were making faces and a few children were crying as Jeb led me outside.

It was bright outside. I had to shade my eyes from the sudden light. I blinked a few times and Jeb motioned for me to get in the car. I looked at it hesitantly.

"Get in or I will leave you. You are in the middle of nowhere," Jeb stated and I decided to be logic. I got in the nice black BMW, and Jeb turned on the car. We started to drive.

"Have you ever left this town?" Jeb casually asked as if everything was normal.

"No," I replied, deciding I better cooperate and answer. I needed answers and Jeb had them.

"Has any of your friends left town?"

"No."

"Good, they aren't supposed to," Jeb said, his eyes focused on the road. We reached a diner that was in the middle of nowhere. He pulled over, "Let's talk about this over lunch. I bet you are hungry." I was starving. I hadn't eaten since yesterday. I was a girl who loved to eat, so I eagerly followed him. The diner was empty except for an overweight waitress.

Jeb and I got a table and he ordered coffee and fries. I ordered a guacamole hamburger and Dr. Pepper. Jeb was quiet for a second and then finally started to talk.

"This town was created for a purpose. No one outside of the town even knows it exists. No one on the inside can even leave without special permission. Do you know why?" I shook my head and I noticed my body was shaken. I was terrified by what he was about to say. "The town you live in is an experiment. Everyone there has been raised for a purpose. Our scientists there got lonely so they started to have families, and they created their little town. This little town is going to be where the world ends," Jeb was talking slowly but I lost him at 'this town is an experiment.' The food in front of me didn't look good anymore.

"I…I don't understand," I whispered, trying to take a sip of Dr. Pepper but it wouldn't go down. I spat it out.

"Max is supposed to save the world. People had to figure out how to end the world, so they created a town to test it. I'm guessing eventually they are going to do something soon. You're town is a test for Max. If she can save your town, she can save the world. If she can't save your town, it is too late. Do you comprehend?" Jeb said. "Almost every adult in your town has a part in it. Most of the kids, like you, are oblivious."

I had to remind myself to breathe. This couldn't be happening. My town wasn't normal. Outsiders didn't even know my town existed. My town was going to be destroyed. The world was going to be destroyed. My parents were part of this.

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say. Logic told me that this wasn't right. That he was lying. Yet everything I had seen proved him to be right. How weird my parents were. How weird the town was. How perfect the town was.

"The last girl who found out about this…well, it didn't end so well," Jeb said.

"Elizabeth Tally," I remembered the girl's name that had supposedly drowned. "She found out and you disposed of her. Are you going to do the same to me?"

Jeb looked me over, "I haven't quite decided. You have nothing to do with this town. You are just an experiment that was put in the town." Did he just say experiment? "Besides, I see that Iggy is attached to you, which wasn't part of the plan." He thought about it for a second, "Maybe I could use you."

"Use me for what?" I asked, troubled. What was he going to do to me? What was he going to do to Iggy?

"Motivation," Jeb said with a smile, "Anyway, while I make a plan, you finish eating. I will take you home and you must not say anything to anymore. Your parents are informed of what is going to happen. The whole town does. If you say something to anyone, they will tell me, and you will die." His smile was very unsettling and very, very out of place.

I nodded and pushed away my hamburger, "Okay, let's go."

He waved his approval and he left the diner without paying. The waitress looked over but pretended not to notice. She looked at me and I saw a hint of worry in her eyes. She frowned and I knew that she knew what was going on.

"I want you to release those children," I said as we got in the car.

"That's impossible, they are defective and an obstacle in the plan," Jeb replied. I crossed my arms. How could he talk about those children like that? Then, I remembered what he had said in the diner.

"Am I an experiment?"


	23. End of Day ThirtyTwo

**Sorry if this is bad! It's just a quick chapter, just because I have nothing else to do. If you like it or hate it, review. I won't post anything more until I get lots and lots of reviews!**

"Yes."

Ding, ding, ding. That was the wrong answer. Yet, the word left his mouth, and he looked dead serious.

"Every child in this town is an experiment. It's not as obvious as most, like no one has wings or horns. It's little things, like a sense of smell as strong as dogs, as fast as a cheetah, and so much more," Jeb sounded proud of what he was saying. As if this was an accomplishment.

"What…what am I?" I asked, forcing the words out. I imagined having paws as feet, cat eyes or bat ears. My body was normal. Well, as normal as it could be for a teenage girl. I didn't have any powers, I didn't have any wings.

"I can't tell you that. That something you have to find out yourself," Jeb replied. I started to hate him a little bit.

"Tell me what's wrong with me!" I snapped, almost losing it. What had happened to my life? Nothing would ever be the same. I glanced over at Jeb and knew he wasn't going to tell me. "Who are my parents?"

"They are just two people who decided to raise you as a normal child," he replied as we headed into town. We passed the library, and I saw a few friends standing in front, carelessly laughing. I wanted that again.

"I don't have real parents," I stated, mostly to myself.

"You were a test tube baby," he replied.

I had no family.

"So, you are going to go back to your house and live life as normal. You won't say a word about anything. You will go back to your friends and act like nothing happened. You won't look into this. Don't try to find Iggy. He doesn't want to be found. Iggy has more important things to do than see you," Jeb stated and we stopped in front of my house. "Get out."

I limped out of the car, and cursed my broken ankle. Jeb drove away and I stood alone in the driveway. My next door neighbor was watering the lawn. She was a sweet old lady who always smiled. She wasn't smiling anymore. She stared at me with the saddest expression I had ever seen. She nodded to me, and turned her back towards me.

I made my way to the front door. I took a deep breath. There was no point in breaking down and telling everyone. There was no point in trying to change anything. This was the way things were going to be, and I couldn't change that. I had to accept this.

That was easier said than done.

I opened the front door, and found "mom" and "dad" sitting on the couch. I could barely look at them. They had lied to me. They had pretended to be someone they weren't. They worked for the bad guys.

"Hi, honey! How was your sleepover with Jessica? I hear homecoming went well," mom said, with a false smile on her face. So, this was how we were going to play this game.

I forced a smile and said, "It was great. Jessica and I ate a bunch of candy, so I'm not feeling so great. I'm going to sleep."

Mom took a side glance at dad, and then nodded. They weren't going to argue. They had to do everything they could to keep my mouth shut. I limped upstairs and pushed into my bedroom. My bedroom was so normal looking. My snake was in his cage in the corner of the room. I had forgotten about him.

There was no energy left inside of me. My mind was tired. My body was tired. I was so, so tired. I laid in bed but couldn't fall asleep.

I was an experiment. My whole town was an experiment. I wasn't allowed to leave this town, ever. Iggy, my one comfort in life, was gone.

I closed my eyes but my mind wouldn't stop thinking. I slowly stood up and took off all of my clothes. I turned around in the mirror, trying to find any deformities. My ears and eyes were normal. I didn't have a tail or wings. I looked like a normal girl. My hair was a too short and a dark of red, my eyes looked like they had been colored green by a crayon, and I wasn't a size two.

Yep, I was just a normal teen girl.

I wondered if I would wake up and this would just be a bad dream. Yet, I knew better. I was going to have to live with it.

That's when I sat down at my laptop, and started typing. Every little detail. Every single word. I didn't leave out anything. It was a way for me to clear my thoughts. It took me two hours, and then I started a new document and wrote a letter.

It was a letter I would never send.

It was a letter to Iggy.

For the first time in forever, I started to cry. I wrote every emotion I had ever felt with him, how I was scared and how the town was going to end soon. I remembered Jeb saying that this was the first place that would end.

I would end with the town.

That's when I started to get twitchy. I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. I couldn't stay here. There had to be something I could do. This wasn't about writing a good story anymore. This was real. I had all of this information, and I had to do something with it.

Yet, what could I do?

This town was doomed. Iggy was gone. If I said anything, I would die.

I fell asleep, thinking of a plan. In my plan, everything would end perfectly. Iggy would come back, save the day and stay with me.

Too bad nothing goes according to plan.


	24. Day ThirtyThree to FortyFive

**Sorry it's been so long since I've updated! Life's been rough :P I've had "somebody I used to know" by Gotye on replay all day, so you have that song to thank for this chapter! If you like it, review it! I hardly got any reviews on the last chapter, and really uninspired me. So, if you want another chapter, or really hate this or something, review! Thanks so much 3 P.S. I HAVE MIDNIGHT TICKETS TO THE HUNGER GAMES (you jelly?) and I HATE TECHNOLOGY 3 **

When I woke the next morning, there was a black car across the street. A man sat in the driver's seat, his eyes set on my house. He was making sure I didn't run off to find Iggy. That made everything even more difficult. My plan became even more complicated. Yet, no matter what, I would do what I had to do. In two weeks, I would act. Two weeks seemed so far, yet so soon. 

I went back to school as if nothing had ever happened. I joined back up with yearbook and newspaper. My group of friends never questioned what had happened. It was like nothing had ever happened. I held a smile every day and turned my assignments in on time. My grades had slipped in the past month. 

There was an empty space in my heart. Iggy's chair remained empty in every class. I didn't see him at lunch. There was a part of me that hoped I would walk into school and he would be there. I knew it wouldn't happen, but for some reason, it still crossed my mind. I felt so lonely. 

On Friday, I had the guts to open my laptop and read what I had written about Iggy. That's how this had all started. Suddenly, the writing competition didn't seem important at all. Getting a story out of Iggy seemed pointless. This had become so much more than a good story. This had become real.  
>I almost clicked the delete button, but I started to read it. Every memory was in this story. Everything I knew about him was in it. So, the story stayed saved on my laptop. <p>

I ate dinner with my parents every night. I fell into this comfortable routine that I absolutely hated. I had come used to adventure and trying new things. I was falling back into my old life, and I despised every second of it. 

"When your ankle heals up, you should try out for gymnastics," mom suggested one night. I grimaced and looked down at my ankle. Since I was an "experiment" I was healing faster than usual. I would be all healed by next Saturday. The big day. 

"Gymnastics isn't my thing anymore," I replied. A lot of things weren't my thing anymore. Yearbook, cheerleading, newspaper and and student council had become a complete bore. I took no interest in such things anymore. 

I started to write more and more. I wrote about sad things, happy things and dreams I would have. My dreams became constant. It was always something different, but it always involved Iggy and the others. Sometimes, everything was on fire. Sometimes, we were all on a beach in Hawaii, drinking horchata. They seemed to switch from happy to sad, and it drove me crazy. I couldn't escape my dreams.  
>The next week flew by. Suddenly, it was Saturday morning and it was time to take action. My life would change forever today. I took one glance in the mirror. I ignored my faded red hair, honey skin and slender body. I stared into my own green eyes and said, "I can do this. I'm not Bella Swan." I almost smiled at my own joke. I had read Twilight out of sheer boredom. Bella's lack of action in New Moon had driven me crazy, and that had motivated me. I was so much more than a boring book character. I was Elyse, and I was very real. I was going to get my friends back. <p>

I walked out the house and avoided the black car that was always parked across the street. I walked straight to the mayor's house. 

The walk seemed to last forever. I passed the small town and wondered if I would ever see it again. It would be okay if I didn't. I had grown tired of this place. It felt like a prison. This was me trying to escape. I could feel the people watching me. The grown ups were always watching me. They knew what was going on. They scared me. 

I kept on walking to the mansion on the hill. 

I rang the doorbell and at that second, I changed everything about myself. I wouldn't let my true self shine through. If I wanted this to work, I had to be convincing.  
>The door opened and the mayor stood there. Anger washed through my body, and I wanted to explode at him. I wanted to tell him how he was an evil man. He was a murderer! He was going to kill this whole town. He played everyone like puppets. <p>

He took a step back, caught off guard. He quickly Collected himself and stood tall, "What can I do for you?" 

I crossed my arms. "Iggy broke my heart." The words flew out of my mouth, harsh and bitter. 

"I'm sorry, dear," he replied, in a tone that said he wasn't sorry at all. He had planned Iggy to leave since the very beginning. Everything was going just the way it was supposed to. 

"He left me, you know," I sounded like a bratty teen girl talking to her mother or teacher. It was so unlike me. 

"Do you find that weird?" the mayor knew that I had been informed of this whole situation. He just pretended that we were talking about a normal boy breaking a normal girls heart. It was nothing like that. We both knew it. 

"No, I don't. He left and isn't coming back," I seethed, forcing the words out. It was hard to be so mean about this. I was acting like I didn't understand why Iggy hadn't left. Sure, I was hurt that he didn't stop by at 3am. But I always remembered that this wasn't a love story. The boy doesn't just return even when it's dangerous. It never made sense when the boy would risk lives to see his girlfriend. It was stupid. Iggy was smart. "I would like to find him." 

The mayor let out a loud laugh that made me grimace. "So you can beg him to return? You don't mean anything to him." His words stung even though they shouldn't have. 

I took a deep breath. "I want to hurt him as much as he's hurt me." 

"You've always been the one for revenge," the mayor noted as if he knew everything. I wasn't the one for revenge. I was the one for being fair. I suppose he thought of that being the same thing. 

From what I had heard, Max's team was disposable. She was not. Yet, I knew that the white coats wanted Max back for a while. They wanted to test on her  
>more before she was ready to "save the world." <p>

"I can help you get Max," this part was true. I had to tell her about the plan to destroy this town. If she didn't save this place, she couldn't save earth at all. I became motivated and the worlds spilled out like a waterfall, "I'd like to kill Iggy."


	25. End of Day Forty Five

**I want summer so bad! It snowed yesterday, and I was like "noooooo." But the weather was like, "yyeeessssss." I've seen Hunger Games three times. I have never seen Titanic, isn't that sad? Sorry for the babbling! Anyway, if you like this, please review. If no one reviews, I will not be posting anything more! Hope you enjoy 3 tell me what you think, even if it is negative. Ta-ta for now 3**

I didn't know if the mayor believed me. He was probably pulling me into a trap. It was a risk I was willing to take.

"Come right on in," the mayor stepped back and I hesitantly entered. Immediately, a feeling of dread washed over me. I felt cold and empty. This house was evil. No, the person who lived in this house was evil. I forced a smile.

"Exactly how can you help me?" the mayor asked as he led me to the dining room. Memories of Iggy washed over me. "Tea?"

I loved tea. "No."

"I'll give you some anyway," he replied and left the room for a moment that seemed to last for an hour. _Run, _my instincts told me. _No, I won't sit around and do nothing. I'll die trying to do something. _He returned with peppermint tea. My favorite. He knew that somehow.

We sat at the long table, and a fire crackled in the fireplace. Even with the warmth of the flames, I still felt a chill.

"I'm bait," I told him. "If Max and the others think I am in trouble, they will come save me." I didn't believe that, of course. They were smart. They wouldn't fall for such a trick. I wasn't that important to them. The mayor considered what I had said. He didn't fall for it either. Something told me that he had a whole different plan in mind. "Why do you want to kill Max?"

"She left me," I replied. "They left me. I thought I was important, and they lied to me. I was nothing. They treated me like I could do nothing. I can show her that I can do something." My voice was harsh and I was shaking with pretend anger. I felt a bit guilty for being such a liar. Such a player. But it was for a good cause. That made it okay, right? "I just don't know where she is."

The mayor let out a hearty laugh. The laugh shook the room and I hated the sound of it. "Of course we know where they are." I took a deep breath. I hadn't expected him to know. They had run. I had expected they would run somewhere no one would know. "You think we have lost control of this? I am Max's guide, she just doesn't know it. Nothing is random. Everywhere she goes is because of us."

I was angry. He was playing them like puppets. They were nothing more than pieces of a chess game. "I knew that," I lied. My voice had faltered.

"Of course, they are hiding and won't come out in the open. Maybe I can use you for that. There will be benefits for you," he replied. "If you don't betray me, you can leave this town and live. While everyone else dies."

To anyone else, he would have sounded like a savior. He was offering to save my life. To me, it was the worst preposition. He expected me to actually want to live while everyone else died? Maybe he didn't know me at all.

I shifted uncomfortably but held my head high. "Sounds good to me."

"We'll fly you to Paris tomorrow," the mayor said, sipping his coffee. I stared at my untouched tea. Paris? I had expected Texas or California, not Paris. I had never been out of this town, let alone out of this country.

"I don't speak French," I randomly stated. I don't know why I said it. The mayor let out another laugh, and I regretted saying anything.

"I'll get everything set up," he said, and stood up. He stepped close to me and patted my hair. "You are a good one. Hopefully you will live. Your bedroom is on the third floor, second room on the right. You can find it."

I didn't want to go alone. I didn't want to stay here overnight. I wanted to leave. Run. Home. To my comfortable bed and my pet snake. I sat in the empty room, listening to the popping fire. I had to hold myself together. I left the empty room and walked through the empty house. Doors were shut and locked. Windows were dark. There were no lights turned on.

How did the mayor live here? No matter how evil he was, he was also a person. No person could survive in this place. How did he do it? How could he be so alone? How could he live in the dark? I found the room and slowly opened the door.

The first thing I saw was a cage in the corner. There was a dog inside of it. The dog was much too large for the small cage. It whimpered when it saw me. I shut the door behind me and immediately opened the cage door. The possibility of it being a mean dog never crossed my mind.

The dog didn't move.

"Come on," I whispered, "I won't hurt you." For 30 minutes, I tried to coax the black lab from the uncomfortable cage.

Against my will, my eyelids became heavy. I didn't know how I would sleep in this place. What if the mayor came in and killed me? I scooted into the large bed. The room was ridiculously large, with white walls and a large white bed. As I fell into a light sleep, I felt something jump onto the bed. I sat up and then realized the full grown black lab had cuddled up against my feet.

With that, I fell asleep.

_"You shouldn't be here," Iggy whispered as I stood at the top of the Eiffel tower. It was sunset, and I had never seen such a beautiful sight._

_ "I had to find you," I argued._

_ "I didn't want to be found, did you ever think of that? You selfish girl! You have no limits. You have caused all our deaths," he snapped._

_ Tears burned my cheeks. "I didn't mean to."_

_ Suddenly we were surrounded by dozens of Erasers. Their teeth were sharper than before, their claws longer than ever. Blood dripped down their necks. They ignored me and lunged at Iggy. He never had a chance to fight. Then they turned on me. Iggy's blood covered their fur. I stumbled back._

_ I fell._

_ Down._

_ Down._

_ Down._

_ Then I hit the ground._


	26. Day Forty Six

**Here's a new chapter! I was a little disappointed on how few reviews there were for the last chapter. I'll need more. Thank you Twigatha and SilverStar121 for the reviews.**

**I went to Paris last year, so this chapter was really fun to write, because it made me feel like I was there again. This chapter was inspired by a lot of things. My sweet 16 birthday party (we rented a house and had a black light/rave dance party!) and Water For Elephants. **

**If you are reading this, just take 1 second to say "like this" or "hate it" or whatever!**

I woke early in the morning. The dog was still at my feet, snoring as loud as a train. I wished I could take him with me. It wasn't fair that he was stuck here. I leaned over and kissed the sleeping dogs forehead.

"I'm almost free," I whispered. I was scared as hell, but I was getting out of this town. Then a thought crossed my mind. I could run. Run away from here. Never come back. Ditch the plan of finding Max and saving this town.

I could be normal again.

It sounded like the best idea in the whole entire world. Yet, I would never be able to live with myself if I ran. I was better than that. I gently left the bed, careful to not disturb him. I followed the scent of sausage and eggs. I found the large kitchen, where the mayor sat reading a book and sipping his coffee.

He looked so normal.

He turned to me, "I made you sausage and eggs. No, that's a lie. I had _someone _make you sausage and eggs." Suddenly I wasn't very hungry. "You leave for the airport in an hour. You are flying to Heathrow, and taking the Eurostar to Paris. The train goes underwater."

I crossed my arms, "That's not possible."

"You have so much to see. Now, eat," he gestured towards the pile of food. I didn't move. "Now, I had my cook make it. She gets paid." I didn't believe him. I ate it anyway.

A man who wore a dark suit and sunglasses drove me out of town and to the airport. I had never seen so many people in one place before. They all had something to do, somewhere to go. I had never been on a plane before. My claustrophobia went to a new high when I boarded the plane and had to sit for the next nine hours. I flinched at every bump and felt nauseous the whole time.

I found the Eurostar and stared out the window. People around me slept, talked and read. None of them bothered to look outside. How could they not? There was so much to see.

Paris was the most beautiful place in the world. People chattered in French, and I saw the Eiffel tower in the distance. There were street performances everywhere. People danced, sang and did magic tricks. Everyone seemed so…happy.

This couldn't be real.

I couldn't be in Paris. I was out of the town I had always hated. I wished I had a camera. There were several cafes, poodles and parties. Paris was everything I had always imagined and so much more. My cell phone rang and I hesitantly answered it.

"You'll be staying in the room next to Max's at an old hotel," the mayor said, "All you need to do is convince them to come back. When they do…" he didn't finish his sentence. What was he planning? If only I knew.

"Where do I go?" I asked. I stood on the corner of the busiest intersection I had ever seen. I was in front of the Arc De Triumph, and there 7 lanes merging together. The road circled the arc, and I had never seen so many cars before.

"Take the metro to Louvre Rivoli, the hotel is called the Hotel de Louvre," the mayor asked. I wanted to go see the Louvre, and this would be the perfect opportunity. "Don't go to the Louvre, you have a mission." I was going to the Louvre anyway.

I saw all different types of people on the metro. There was a petite woman who was petting a mouse and a man with tattoos all over his bodies. People spoke all different languages. I wondered where these people had come from. What their stories were. If they were really happy or just pretending.

I entered the Louvre when my cell phone rang. The mayor's gruff voice came from the other end, "I told you not to go to the Louvre."

"Just for a little while," I replied and ended the call. I was in _Paris; _I would at least see the Mona Lisa. After a short walk around the museum, I got a cup of coffee and found my hotel. It was beautiful. The architect was enchanting.

The room was decent sized and smelled like lavender. It felt so weird knowing that Max and Iggy were in the room next to me. I sat on my couch, trying to figure out what to do. Did I just knock on their door? I couldn't do it yet. I was going to the Eiffel tower. I was exhausted but too overwhelmed to sleep.

I left my room and took the metro. I would never like it. I was stuck underground with a bunch of people. It seemed like every person in Paris was visiting the Eiffel tower. It would be a 3 hour wait to get to the top. I got two cups of coffee and waited. I listened to everyone's conversations around me. I wondered what the French were talking about.

It was sunset when I got to the top. I suddenly remembered my dream and shuddered. It was just a dream. I could see all of Paris, and suddenly the world seemed so big. I couldn't believe I was here. I was living big. I wished I could stay here forever.

Then I heard a scream from beside me. I turned and a woman fell from the railing. She screamed all the way down. Then she became quiet when she hit the ground. Suddenly, everything happened at once.

People screamed.

People pulled themselves away from the edge.

Someone came behind me and covered my mouth. A man hoarsely said, "Get to work or you are next. If I have to warn you again, it won't just be one person. Get off of here, the easy or the hard way." The man grasped my throat and began to choke me. Everyone was too busy to notice. Finally, the man let go and I whirled around. He was gone.

It took two hours to get everyone down the elevators. The woman's body had been moved, but her blood still stained the concrete. The mayor had done that to warn me. He was evil. I trembled and bought another cup of coffee.

The Parisians seemed to eat late. It was nine o'clock at night and the restaurants were just now crowded. Their lives seemed okay. They wore their dresses and ties and drank expensive red wine. I wished I could be one of them. I wished I could forget the view of the woman falling from the top of the Eiffel tower.

I finished my sixth cup of coffee and found a café and bought another one. Every time I blinked, I saw death. I saw the fake smiles that these people were wearing. I didn't want to see them. I wanted to believe that these people were perfect.

I entered the hotel and went to the top floor and fumbled for my key. Then I heard laughing from the room next door. 619. Max's room. They were playing cards and having a good time. I took a deep breath.

The coffee kicked in and I knocked on their door. Max opened the door and stared at me. No one said anything.

"Hi," I awkwardly said, "We are in trouble."

"Elyse?" Iggy spoke up, "Is that you?" I looked over at him and everything seemed better. There was a bruise over his right eye, but he looked handsome as ever. He was frowning. The laughs of just a minute ago had disappeared.

I wanted to run into his arms and never let go.

I was here.

Iggy was here.

"Are you stupid?" Max yelled at me, dragging me into their simple room and slamming the door behind us. "Did anyone follow you?"

I forced a laugh, "They are the ones who told me where to find you."

Everyone became silent.

"Why are you here?" she finally asked.

"To help you save the world." I looked over at Iggy, glad he couldn't see me. My hair was wild, my eyes glazed over, and I was trembling. At the same time, I wished he could see me. So he could see how much I had missed him.

"Would you like some coffee?" Iggy asked.


	27. End of Day Forty Six

**Iggy=Elyse bonding time! YAY! I was a little disappointed with the lack of reviews. If you want another chapter, I have a whole weekend to write a few and post them but only if you review. 3**

A smile appeared on my face, "Yes please!"

Max placed a hand on Iggy's shoulder. "That's not a good idea." She looked over me, "Sit down." I immediately sat on the comfortable couch, glad that I could rest. I subconsciously began to bounce. I had so much energy. Everyone circled around me and waited for me to say something.

"I'm an experiment," I said first, mostly because I had to tell someone. It felt good to tell them. They didn't look surprised. "You knew?" Their expressions answered my question. "The bad guys are going to destroy the town. If they do, the rest of the world is next. If you save the town, you…I don't know, save people. You need to save our town."

"You want us to come out of hiding?" Fang was the most appalled by this idea. It was a lot to ask.

"You aren't hiding," I said, my voice sounding strange, "The mayor sent me here. They even told me your room number." Silence filled the room. I was choking on the emptiness. "I'm sorry, but you can't escape them." It was terrifying to think about how these bad guys were…everywhere.

"It's a trap," Max finally said, "If we go back, they will capture us and we will watch as the world falls apart."

"I wouldn't bring you into a trap!" I exclaimed, horrified that she would think so.

"You are smart, but you cannot outsmart them," she replied, her voice calm. She thought I was overreacting. "If they sent you here, you are a piece in their game."

"They think I am, but I am not," I defended myself, pulling my knees up to my chest. "Trust me."

"Don't throw the t word around," Max snapped at me, and then sighed, "I didn't mean to snap. I can't believe that they know we are here. Why haven't they come for us?"

"They want you to come to them," I answered before anyone else had a chance to suggest ideas.

Max suddenly smiled, "You could get more information. We can use you."

"She isn't going to be our spy," Iggy argued, suddenly speaking up. I had been watching him the whole time, and he had stood in the corner. "We are not getting Elyse involved."

"Yes, you are getting me involved," I cut in, "I want to help. It is my choice. Tell me what to do."

"No!" Iggy said, "She's going to get hurt."

"I'll get hurt helping save the world. I wouldn't mind," I said, my voice lowering. It didn't seem so easy anymore. Suddenly…saving the world seemed a lot scarier than it originally did. I was going to get hurt if I got involved, I couldn't avoid it. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make. "I can do this."

"We appreciate your willingness to help," Fang finally spoke up. I always forgot the sound of his gruff voice. It was spooky and dark. I didn't like it.

"Of course," I replied lightly, as if we were talking about TV shows, not saving the world. "Tell me what do to. I will be your humble servant."

Max paced the room, tapping her chin. "I'll come up with something." I didn't doubt that she would. Iggy disappeared before I could even blink. Angel and Gazzy watched TV and Nudge blasted music. Fang and Max were arguing. They seemed right at home. I wished I could belong with them.

I slipped out of their room and found a staircase up to the roof. Someone had forgotten to lock it. I hated roofs, but I was suffocating in this building. I was too nervous to leave the building, so I climbed up the stairs and found Iggy lying on the ground. It was probably a habit of his.

I sat next to him, and didn't speak for a second. "I'd like to think that my power is cool. Maybe I'm like Angel and always developing new ones. I wish I knew what mine is…" I took a deep breath, "Iggy, say something to me."

"It sure is sunny," he said sarcastically, "It's blinding me. I can't see a thing. Man, I need sunglasses." We both knew it was nighttime. Against my will, I let out a laugh. A real laugh. I had missed his humor.

"Tell me what you are thinking," I whispered, knowing it was a daring demand. Those days of sharing our secret dreams and goals on my hammock were over.

"I don't want you to help us," Iggy said after a moment of thought, "Elyse, everyone who helps us always dies."

"I'm not scared to die."

"You don't mean that."

"I don't," I agreed with him. We sat there, overlooking the most beautiful city in the world. The Louvre was gigantic, it was like a maze. The lights of the city were brilliant and bright. Everything was so big and perfect. The breeze pushed my hair around my face. Iggy laid there, wearing blue, my favorite color on him. There was nothing else on the roof, just us. Alone. "It doesn't matter that I am scared to die. Iggy, so many people are going to die. I can't sit around and pretend that I don't know."

Iggy slightly smiled and it spent my heart whirling, "I can't believe you are here."

"You thought you got rid of me," I joked, but then realized that it was true. "Are you mad that I am here?"

"No, just worried," Iggy sighed and he looked over at me. He reached out and touched my arm. I wished he could see me. "I'm worried something will happen to you." It was the best feeling in the world. Iggy cared, and that meant so much to me. I learned towards him and grabbed his other hand.

"Iggy, you have no idea how boring things have been without you."

"I am good entertainment, aren't I?" Iggy teased, cockily flipping his blonde hair. "Max won't hesitate to put you in a dangerous situation."

"That's okay," I replied, "I used to wish that things would go back to normal. But if things were to go back to normal, I'd have to forget. I don't want to forget. Life is really beautiful."

"They've brainwashed you," Iggy said in awe, "This isn't good."

I laughed and then sighed, "I am ready for this."

Iggy squeezed my hand, "So am I." A weird thought crossed my mind. How do people kiss blind guys? Blind people can't see lips and the seeing person don't want to shock them. I pushed the thought away. It was irrelevant.

There was a gagging sound from behind us, and we turn to see Max and Gazzy. "Gross," Max exclaimed, "This is no time for mushy stuff."

"You are the one to talk, miss kissy," Gazzy teased her. She gave him a death glare.

"I have a plan for you," Max said, becoming serious. She looked worried. This plan was going to be more risky than I had originally thought.


	28. Day Forty Seven

**Sorry it has been so long since I have updated! Finals are FINALLY done, and it is summer! I only have today and tomorrow to update a lot, because I have a trip to the mountains for the rest of the week. If you would like another update, please review! I want to know what you think of this! Do you like it? If you are reading this, please do review! Tell me if you hate it or like it! 3**

"No," Iggy snapped after Max had explained the plan. "_No." _

"I don't like this either," Max replied, her voice hoarse and cold. "It's the only thing that could ever work."

I just sat there, not daring to move. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do. I had to do this. I just hadn't expected it to be so…painful. I looked at them, waiting for them to pay attention to me again. They were all arguing with each other, and I was the cause of it.

Maybe it had been a mistake to come here. I had overestimated myself. I was only causing problems. I became dizzy but shook it away. I was strong enough to do this. I was going to save the world. Their voices rose with irritation.

"Quiet!" I finally demanded with my voice shaking. They all looked at me, shocked by my outburst. I couldn't have just sat there and let them decide this for me. "I'm doing it." I refused to overthink this. If I thought anymore, I would become a coward and run away. I would not do that.

Iggy stood still, and I wondered what he was thinking. His face was expressionless. He took a deep breath and I knew he was going to admit defeat. He saw the bigger picture, just like I did. I was going to get hurt trying to save the world. It was a sacrifice worth making. Even Iggy knew that.

"We need to find a place to put her," Angel spoke up. She smiled faintly, "I know just where she should go." I would be alone again. I would be leaving Iggy, even though I had just found him. "We need to get going now. If Elyse doesn't come out within 10 minutes, the erasers are coming in."

Angel sat down and whispered, "I'm going to contact someone who will take her there. There will be someone there who will do the rest." She made eye contact with me. I hated it when she did that. Her eyes pierced my soul. She seemed a million years old. I appreciated the life I used to have. I had hated staying one place. I had always wanted to leave. Angel didn't have a home to come back to after she traveled. The only parental figures she had ever known were Max and Fang.

I walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror.

"Better take it in, you won't recognize yourself the next time," Iggy spoke up. I jumped, wondering how he had known what I was doing. I touched my clear complexion, and wondered what I would look like with bruises. He came up behind me and reached out and stroked my hair. "I bet you're beautiful."

I shook my head, "I'm plain." I stared at the mirror, taking myself in. Red hair. Green eyes. Tan skin. I let out a sigh, "I'm scared."

"We all are," Iggy replied, but it was a lie. They were not scared. They were nervous that this plan wouldn't work, but not scared. They didn't get scared. Not even Iggy knew what it was like to be afraid anymore. He was immune to it.

"It's time to go," Angel said and Iggy quickly left the bathroom. He did not say goodbye. Angel walked in and looked at me. "You are beautiful. He likes you." She smiled, "If he was a normal boy, he'd love you."

But he wasn't a normal boy. I wasn't a normal girl. I would never get to experience my junior prom, have my first real boyfriend, or have a carefree day. My life was over. I didn't feel alive anymore. I felt like I was on autopilot, only doing what I felt like I needed to do. I didn't matter anymore. Everyone else mattered. I was nothing.

Max handed me a hat, trench coat and a scarf. Nudge pulled up my hair into a bun and delicately placed the hot on my head. I slid my body into the warm trench coat and wrapped the scarf around my neck. I didn't look in the mirror. I didn't look like me.

"When you get outside, there will be a black car waiting for you. Get in the back. It will take you somewhere. Go inside. Make yourself at home. You won't have any contact with anyone. We will come get you when we're ready," Max told me. I stiffly nodded and looked around the room. Iggy was not around. I refused to let that upset me too much.

I left the hotel, got in the black car, and drove away.

The plan was simple, but painful. I would disappear. The mayor would think I was dead. I would reappear suddenly, bruised and bloody, and tell the mayor that there was a society of experiments who knew his plan and were going to ruin it. He would believe me, be distracted, and then Max's gang would strike.

It seemed like a good plan. Foolproof, almost. Yet, I would literally have to disappear and become isolated from the outside world. We could not risk me being found. I would have to return weak and bruised. I didn't like that part either. I would have to be hurt.

As the black car pulled away, the hotel suddenly exploded. The car jerked forward, and debris fell from the sky. I looked out the window and saw figures flying away. Of course, Max hadn't told me the whole plan. They had something else on their mind too.

The man driving the black car wore a black hat, and a black suit. He did not look at me. He just drove. There were sirens and screams as the hotel disintegrated. My cell phone rang and I rolled down the window and threw it out. The mayor had to think I was dead.

The caffeine left my body, and I fell into a deep sleep.

_"You're a liar," the mayor screamed in my face. I was strapped to a chair, in front of an angry fire. I was covered in blood and I could not find a voice to speak. I was trembling and scared. Yet, I was quiet. "Tell me where they are!"_

_ The mayor pulled out a knife and held it to my neck. "I will find them, and they will die."_

_ I choked on a sob, and didn't say a word. I could not betray them. I was too strong to give into the mayor. _

_ The mayor let out a laugh, "It's not like it matters. This town will be destroyed tomorrow, and every weak person in this world will be dead by the end of the weak. There is nothing anyone can do."_

_ If I hadn't been in so much pain, I would have been proud. I had fooled him. The plan had worked, even if it hadn't gone right. The original plan had been thrown out the window months ago, when I had been found in isolation. _

_ The mayor cut into my throat and I let out a cry. I was going to die. I had gone this far, and now it was over. I wouldn't get to see Max and Iggy save the world._

_ Oh, Iggy, I thought desperately. Help me. But he couldn't hear me. He was away, doing something more important than saving me. He was saving the world. Max was angry with him. The plan had gone awry because of him. Because of us. _

_ Blood trickled down my throat and then the mayor looked into my eyes. "You know how strong you are. You know your powers. Such a shame you will never use them." He pushed the chair back and flames engulfed me._

I woke up, not able to breathe. My heart was pounding.

I had just seen the future.

I knew it.


	29. Day Fifty One

**Sorry it has been so long! My laptop crashed and then I started horse camp and that lasts forever! I finally found time to do this! Sorry if Iggy seems out of character, but desperation does funny things to people! I'm perfectly content, I just watched Emperor's New Groove for the first time, and I'm eating Sour Patch Kids on my bed, which I'm probably gonna regret cause there's sugar everywhere! Anyway, please review!**

Dying young has never been something I had ever thought about. Nuclear bombs, plagues, cancer, drought had gone over my head. Now, dying young seemed like my only option. Everyone would deny it, but I knew it. The mayor was going to kill me. It was my fate. I could see the future. Perhaps that was my power. I didn't like it. While everyone else wished they knew what the future held, I never wanted to know. I was impatient and curious, but I did not find the future enticing.

The house was in the middle of nowhere, deep in a forest that I didn't know existed. There was no cell phone service, no internet, no television but there was electricity. I suddenly appreciated the little things. The house was gigantic, but dark and usually the house that people would avoid. The windows were shuttered, it was painted black and vines crept up the walls. I wanted to turn and run the other way. I took a deep breath and opened the front door.

The furniture was vintage and dusty. I turned on the lights and suddenly it didn't seem so bad. Just lonely. The driver walked up behind me and didn't say a word. The kitchen was stocked with all my favorite foods and the shelves held millions of books. There were several games and a laptop where I could play video games. I hadn't played a video game before in my life. I guessed it was time to start. There were several bedrooms but only one for me. The walls were covered with pictures of my friends, my family and my snake. The walls were splattered with my favorite colors, and the bed was soft as a cloud. They had really tried to make this place feel like home.

I went through the whole house, turning on every light, but it didn't make up for actual sunlight. I wasn't allowed to open the blinds. I wasn't allowed to go outside. If anyone came to the house, my driver would answer and say he is the new owner of this house.

Elyse didn't exist anymore. Elyse was gone. At least, that's what everyone else thought.

I became fidgety much too quickly. I couldn't find the right words to write, and couldn't find comfort in books. I couldn't play video games because I sucked so much. I walked around the house, exploring every inch. That lasted about two days. I felt like I was doing nothing. But I knew I was helping in someway. I wondered what Iggy was doing.

On the fourth night, I sat on my bed, watching my clock. It switched to 2:15am. I couldn't sleep. Dark circles were beginning to appear under my eyes. My door swung open and I expected to see the driver.

"Iggy," I breathed, flying off my bed and grabbing him. Tears sprung to my eyes. "I thought no one can see me."

"I'm not supposed to," he replied, softly touching my cheek. "But I lost you once, I'm not going to lose you again."

I stepped back, shocked by the seriousness of his tone. I searched his blank eyes, wishing he could see me. For once, I didn't feel lonely. "You're going to lose me," I sighed, leading him over to my bed. "I'm going to die."

Iggy quickly shook his head, "You can change your future. You can runaway."

"I can't," I whispered, "The mayor will find me. We already know he's going to find me here soon."

"Angel said you're going to die the day before we save the world. If I can just keep you alive for one day longer, you'll live," he replied. I had never seen him so frustrated. The carefree, funny Iggy was gone. This was the Iggy who knew he was going to lose everything if he made a mistake. One wrong move and the world will be destroyed. "The future is never set. It's always changing. The visions you have is just a probable outcome, it's never for sure. Things change."

"I have accepted my death. Because I know everyone else will get to live," I said, forcing the words out. I had accepted my death, but that didn't mean I had to like it. I was scared. I was terrified. But the right thing to do was never easy, just worth it.

"I can't accept that you'll die," he said through pursed lips, "You have so much life inside of you. If you live, you will finally get the life you always wanted. You'll be able to spread your wings and fly. You'll be able to do everything you could never do."

I was tired of talking about it. I was tired of arguing. I just wanted to get it over with. I wasn't going to change my mind. I didn't want to think about the life I could have. For once, I wasn't dreaming of the future. I was too scared of it. I was scared of getting my hopes up and having them crushed.

Iggy looked into my eyes and I suddenly felt like he could see me. But he couldn't. He saw blackness. "Let me save you."

"I can save myself," the words came out before I could stop them. I just wanted him to stop saying he could do something that he really couldn't. I wanted to be saved, but I couldn't.

His hand found mine and squeezed it. That's when I started to cry. Everything I had ever held in started to come out. I started to tremble and I laid my head on his shoulder.

"What do you want, Elyse? Don't be selfish for once."

I thought about it for a second. "I don't want to spend my last days in a cage. I want to fly."

Iggy did his famous smirk, "Then let's fly."

"Iggy..."

"There's been a change of plan, Elyse. You're coming with me and never coming back here," he said. My head said no, but my heart said go. My head told me that this will never work, but my heart said I have to try. My head said that I'll die no matter what, but my heart said I'll die fighting. So I went. Iggy grabbed my hand we went downstairs and the driver didn't say a word as we left. He had seen this coming.

"Hold onto me," Iggy whispered. I wrapped my arms around him and suddenly we were in the air. I felt the fresh air, the birds, everything. It was beautiful. Everything seemed okay. "Scared?"

"No," I answered honestly. I was in a trance. This didn't feel real. If only this could last forever. 'Where are we going?" Too bad I wasn't able to forget everything that was going on. I couldn't escape reality.

"To the flock," he said, but he sounded a little weary. I put 2 and 2 together and got 4 instead of fish for once. The pieces fell together. They didn't go Iggy had left and went to find me. They were going to kill Iggy, then me, and then Iggy again. We were doomed.

"But our plan...' I trailed off, watching the earth pass under us.

"We'll find something better," he replied and we became quiet. I didn't even want to blink, afraid I would miss something. The more we flew, the more I began to think. The more I began to think, the more I began to panic.

"Iggy, take me down for a minute," I suddenly began to have a panic attack. I was shaking and Iggy immediately dropped us to the ground. "You have to take me back. We can't ruin the plan. I saw the future. If I stay away, you will save the world." I tried to breathe but couldn't catch my breath, "Iggy, take me back! Please!" The world could be destroyed if something went wrong. There was a plan and I had to stick to it.

"So you've given up?" Iggy snapped at me, "You're not going to even try to survive? You're just as important as the other people we're going to save." He took a deep breath and I knew that there was something else he wanted to say. A minute passed and he finally spat it out, "Saving all those other people don't mean a thing unless I'm able to save you too."

I didn't know what to say. There was a rustling from a bush and we both whirled around. People stepped out from behind the trees. The people from my town. Except they didn't seem like themselves. Their eyes were glazed over. They were stumbled and mumbling like zombies.

"The end of our town has started," I whispered, "We're too late."


	30. Day Fifty One Continued

**My city is burning down /: We are in a pre-evacuation zone so I decided to write this chapter, just in case anything happens! If you like it, please review! I'm sorry if it is boring and nothing really happens! It's a good cliffhanger, and least I think so! Please review, and I'll update as soon as I can!**

Iggy's blind eyes pierced mine. I surveyed the scenery and realized where we had landed. I recognized my favorite climbing tree and a dried up pond that I used to splash around in. We were just a mile from my town.

"Iggy," I yanked on his shirt, "We have to get out of here!" He didn't say a word. That's when it hit me. He had purposely taken me here. This was part of their plan. He was handing me over to the mayor. My heart thumped and my head hurt. I couldn't see straight.

What had happened to my friends and family? I looked at the townspeople's blank faces and barely recognized any of them. It was as if they had lost their souls. A new figure appeared and I caught my breath.

The mayor.

"Thank you for cooperating," the mayor told Iggy, patting his shoulder. Iggy showed no emotion. He stretched his wings and flew away. He had left me. The mayor grabbed me and I let out a scream.

"I need you," he hissed, his face was so close to mine, I could smell the garlic on his breath. While the flock was fighting for the lives, he had been sitting in his mansion, eating steak.

I screamed, but I knew it was no use. No one would help me. No one cared. The mayor threw me over his shoulder and started to walk away. I kicked, bit, clawed and elbowed, but it had no affect on him. I had worn myself out. My body went limp and I let him carry me through the town.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. This was the end. The mayor was going to use me to end the world. The flock had let this happen. I wished for my boring life back. I wished that I could turn back time and change everything. I wanted to be that girl who focused on grades, student counsel and trying out for cheerleading. But that girl was gone. My wishes had come true-I had left the town and gone on an adventure. But now that was over.

I wondered if I could have avoided this.

Ignorance is bliss. Oh, that was the truth. The mayor dropped me roughly on the ground, and I didn't move. He forced me to my feet. We were outside his mansion. He led me inside and down the dark stairs. This was the hallway that Iggy and I had been trapped in.

That seemed like years ago.

The mayor pushed me into a dark room and he flipped on the light. There was a single chair in the middle of the concrete room and a fire burning in the fireplace. It was just like the vision I had not long ago. My nightmare was coming true.

"You have two choices," the mayor told me, shoving me onto the faltering chair. I felt as if it would break and I would soon find myself on the ground, again. I waited for him to continue speaking. I already knew I wasn't going to like either of the choices. "You can cooperate, tell me the truth, and you will be spared. Or-" the pause made me tremble. "You can not cooperate, and you die, right now."

Both were awful choices. I didn't want to cooperate with him, but I didn't want to die. Maybe I stood a chance if I could get out of here. Maybe I could help. I searched the mayor's eyes, trying to figure out which he thought I would choose. What would the flock want me to choose? What would Iggy do? I couldn't help him, but maybe that was the only choice I had.

No, I had a choice.

I knew what would happen if I didn't cooperate. I had already seen it. But I could change the future. I could change my fate.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, my voice quivering.

The mayor forced a loud laugh, "You don't get to know that until you make your choice."

"Okay," it was a split second decision, and I had barely even thought of it. "I will cooperate." What had I just gotten myself into?

The mayor smirked, "I knew you would say that." But his eyes told me differently. He was surprised. I was going to change my destiny. I wasn't going to die. Not here, not now. "Close your eyes and tell me what you see. Don't lie."

I closed my eyes and smirked, "Pizza."

The mayor slapped me and I quickly put my hand over my burning cheek. The skin tingled and tears sprung to my eyes. Alright, don't joke. "I don't see anything," I replied, honestly. All I saw was the faces of my friends, family and Iggy. What did he want me to see?

"You are so weak," the mayor growled, "Close your eyes and focus on the future. What do you see?"

"You losing," I lied. I still didn't see anything. I couldn't force any visions. I didn't even understand why I had visions or why the mayor needed to know anything.

The mayor pushed the chair back and I was hovering over the fire. Maybe I hadn't changed the future. A scream escaped my lips. Visions ran through my brain and I almost exploded. Too much information at once. "I see it!" The mayor positioned the chair and I wiped sweat away from the forehead.

"What do you see?"

"Fire," I whispered, "The world is on fire." Buildings fell, glass shattered and trees burned. People ran but were engulfed by the heat that chased them. Everyone and everything was dying. In the sky, there was a hovercraft. The hovercraft was full of scientist, laughing and sipping wine. They had succeeded. The flock was dead. "You won," a single tear slipped down my red cheek.

"How?" the mayor demanded, "Tell me what I did that made the world end!"

"I don't know," I replied, wiping away the salty tear.

"Tell me!" he shouted in my face. I took a deep breath. I had to lie. I had to lie well. If I told him, he would win. I saw the mayor taking a gun to Max's head. He pulled the trigger. I flinched. He held the gun up to Fang's head. Bang. Then Iggy's. I forced my eyes open, gasping for air.

"The flock got away," I muttered, "You killed everyone in town, and they couldn't save anyone. Then they disappeared. They never came back. They fell off the grid." It was a convincing lie.

"You're lying!" the mayor pounded me.

"I swear I'm not!" I was going to stick to this story, even if it meant dying. "It's the truth! They are already gone!" I almost believed myself. Tears poured down my face and I looked into the mayor's face.

He thought I was lying. He knew it.

What was he going to do to me?


	31. Day Fifty Two

**If you are reading this, please review! The last chapter didn't get very many reviews! Don't depend on others to review! Just a few words really encourage me! Tell me what you think! **

The clock chimed. It was a new day. It was midnight. If only it promised a better day. But it didn't. Today would be as terrifying as yesterday. Today could be my last day. The mayor stood above me, his eyes bloodshot with anger. Sweat poured down his temple. He was getting desperate. The time seemed to be significant to him. He seemed to think that he was running out of time.

It all happened so fast. One second, I was in the chair, and the next, I was on the floor, debris covering me. The room had caved in. I couldn't see anything. I choked and wondered how I was even alive. Somehow, the house had fallen around me, not on me. I was circled by rubble, but left untouched. I blindly searched for the Mayor. I hoped he was dead, but I was terrified of stumbling across his dead body.

"He got away," someone told me. I recognized Iggy's voice. My first reaction was to fall into his arms, but I resisted.

"Why did you do it?" I seethed, dusting off my pants. The dust cloud cleared, and I was standing in the rubble of a completely destroyed house. There was nothing left except pieces of pictures and furniture. There was a single spot that left untouched-the place where I had been. Iggy stood in front of me. The flock were watching from a distance. Iggy was talented with explosions. He must have expertly placed them, leaving one place. I wondered how he had known where I was. He always knew everything.

"We had to get rid of the mayor for a little while," Iggy said, "We wouldn't let you get hurt. You're fine, aren't you?" It sounded slightly insensitive, but there was something off about Iggy. Then I noticed the dark circles under his eyes, and his bruised body. He was hurt. The whole flock was hurt.

"Oh my god," I breathed. We were all lucky to be alive. We looked like we had gone through World War III, yet it hadn't even started yet. "How did he get away so fast?"

"He has his own powers," he muttered, shaking his head. "The Mayor is a rogue scientist."

"So they aren't all as bad as him?" my voice oozed with hope.

"They are just as bad, but this scientist wants the world as his own," he looked as if he would collapse at any moment.

"What's the plan?" I asked. This time, I wouldn't be isolated. I refused to be pushed out. I wanted to be part of this plan. I was a part of this. I was one of them. I was going to help.

"There is a lab somewhere underground, we have to find it, and destroy it," he made it sound so simple. It sounded like a quick and easy plan, but we all knew it wasn't. If we failed, the town-and the world-would be destroyed. We didn't have time for mistakes. We had to have a foolproof plan. "It's going to be heavily guarded. But all of the rogue scientists are in there." That's when it hit me. We were going to be killing people. Bad people. But they were still humans. They still had feelings. They had beating hearts. People were really going to die.

I refused to let it faze me. I reached out and grabbed Iggy's hand, "We can do this." I put extra emphasis on the word _we. _I wasn't going anywhere, and I was silently telling him that. He didn't pull his hand away. Instead, his grip tightened.

"I know we can," he had caught my meaning and this time, he wanted me on board. I wasn't as strong or as smart as them, but I could help. I could fight. This time, I wouldn't sit back and wait. There was no time to wait.

This had to end tonight.

Hand in hand, we walked towards the rest of the flock. They were all wary. They needed a good night sleep, but they wouldn't be able to enjoy such a luxury. They knew it. We all did. Tonight was the night.

"We have to figure out where the laboratory is," Max looked too tired to think. She didn't even acknowledge my presence. I didn't mind. I was just glad to be here with them. I looked around the dark town. Everyone was asleep. I wondered what it was like to be ignorant to what was going on. Everyone was having sweet dreams, completely unaware of what could happen. They would wake up, go to school, go to work, and enjoy a day with their friends and family. They were so care free. Their lives were _normal._

Normal. What did that even mean anymore?

"We can just go in and blow up the whole thing," Gazzy suggested. He looked way older than he really was. He seemed to be as old as Fang. He never had a chance to be a kid. The kid who made bombs and played pranks was gone. Who have we become?

I shook my head, "There are probably experiments down there. We have to get them out." They all looked at me, as if the thought hadn't even crossed their mind. Max cursed under her breath. That just made the whole plan more complicated. They weren't willing to hurt the innocent experiments. It wasn't even an option.

"We can split into two groups," Fang finally spoke up. "One group to prepare to destroy the lab, and another group to get everyone out." Everyone shifted uncomfortably. If one group did something wrong, the whole plan would go awry. We had to be careful. None of us wanted to split up, but we knew that we had to.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Max argued, glaring at Fang. They were fighting for leadership. "We need to find the lab first." They all looked at me. I had grown up here. They were hoping that I would know something. I didn't want to disappoint them. The lab would probably be close to the surface, because the town irrigation and water system was deep in the ground, and would be impossible to build around.

Except there was one place where there was no irrigation at all.

"The cemetery," I thought aloud. Then I realized something that no one had ever thought about before. No one had ever seen a body actually buried in the cemetery. There was always a funeral at the church, then a limousine would drive away with the body. "I could be wrong." I prayed to god that I wasn't wrong. I just wanted to prove myself to them. I didn't want them to leave me behind again. I wanted to be important.

"It's worth a try," Fang agreed. Angel gave me a strange look that I couldn't decode. Then I heard her voice in my head, _you're right, it's the cemetery. I knew that. _

_ Why didn't you tell them? _I asked. It was weird, and completely uncomfortable, having someone in my head. I could feel her presence in my brain.

_You wanted to prove that you were a good addition to our group. You needed to know something that they didn't, _Angel replied. I could hear the smile in her voice. I wondered if that was really the reason. Either way, I appreciated it. She was so mature. It was incredibly sad. The poor girl never got to enjoy the things I did. She had never experienced normal like I had.

Iggy grabs hold of me and we fly to the cemetery. I wanted wings. I wanted to be able to fly again and again, by myself. The feeling was magical. I wanted for us to fly away and never come back. I wanted to forget our problems. But we landed, and I stopped wanting something I could never have. In the corner of the cemetery, there was a small shed.

We all slowly entered, but we couldn't find anything. But we kept looking. It was so dark, I could barely see anything. I accidentally tripped over shovels. There was a click and a stairway appeared.

"Good job, Elyse!" Nudge praised me. I nodded as if I had meant to do it. Another brownie point for me. They were becoming more confident in me. The stairwell was brightly lit and we all carefully stepped down. I wanted to be in the back. But I wouldn't let myself be a coward. No one knew what we would find at the bottom.

The smell hit us first. It smelled like rotting fish and dead cows. When we got to the bottom, we found the source of the smell.

Bodies.

Several of them.

The bodies that were supposed to be buried in the cemetery. Instead, they were thrown into this room. I couldn't breathe. My heart stopped. I had never seen a dead body before. They were rotting. There were rats picking at their flesh.

"Oh my god."

None of us could move.


	32. Please Read!

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	33. Day Fifty Two Continued

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"Be glad you can't see their faces," I whispered to Iggy, wishing I was blind. They were so broken and alone.

"We are going to help them," Iggy assured me, but he was just trying to assure himself. This was near impossible. We had gotten so far. We couldn't give up now. We both turn to Angel, hoping for some advice.

"They are going to die anyway," Angel stated, ripping all hope out of my heart. "Unless the future radically changes, we are all going to die." I wanted to tell them that we could change our future, and we would make it out alive. But those words would fall empty. I had no idea what was going to happen.

"We have to try anyway," I finally said. Angel stayed quiet for a second.

Finally, she said, "The mayor is here. They all are. We have 10 minutes until this place blows."_ 10 minutes? _That was shorter than my shortest shower. That was the length we had to wait to eat at our crappy restaurants. 10 minutes suddenly seemed so short, when just days ago, 10 minutes seemed like a long time.

"Let's just get as many as we can out of the cages and get them out of here," Iggy said. It was the best plan anyone could come up with. After all this time, it was finally happening. This could finally end. We all run around, letting everyone out of their cages.

_8 minutes._

"There's another whole room of them!" Angel called. I didn't know if we could do this. The faces of the experiments were blank. All this time, this had been under my feet. While I had grown up thinking I was trapped, these kids had truly been caged in.

"Iggy, we need to get these kids out now just in case," I muttered to him. He nodded. I wanted to get out of here, but I couldn't. It wasn't even an option for me. I would stay and do this. Then I had an idea. "Leave the older kids with me. They can help us." At least, I hoped they could. They all seemed so wary and uncomfortable. I took the oldest kids and asked them to let _everyone _out of their cages. They seemed eager to help. They were _free. _Their eyes were starting to glitter. They had no idea this place would go down in...

_7 minutes._

Every time we thought we had everyone out, we would find another room. It was a maze with dozens of kids. These kids who never had a chance of a real life. I wanted to save him. I wanted them to go on to be movie stars, doctors and authors. I wanted to be able to write a book about this. I _would _survive this.

_6 minutes._

"Max has confronted the mayor," Angel said. I didn't ask how she knew. She was probably talking to Max in her head. "But they are outnumbered. All the scientists are against them." She nervously glanced at all the kids. Iggy came back. He had left the 6 kids in the shed. They would be safe there, even if only for a few minutes. "We have a choice."

_5 minutes._

Oh god. Get the kids out of here safely, or go and help Max and the others. I decided to do what I could. "I'll get them out of here. I can't fight anyway. Go. I'll find a place for them."

_You can do this, _Angel mentally assured me. Her voice was a comfort in my head.

_I know I can, _I replied. It was a lie. I didn't know I could. I just knew I could try. "You have to get out though," I told them aloud, "You have the world to save." I turned to Iggy. We didn't have time for goodbyes. So I simply patted his shoulder, "Goodbye."

"You'll see me soon enough," Iggy gave me a lopsided grin. I almost believed him "Be safe." He threw his arms around me and gave me a short hug. I wanted him to never let go. I wanted this second to last forever. I felt safe. I felt confident. Iggy quickly let go. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me.

But I didn't say anything.

I did a headcount of all the kids, and swore I wouldn't lose a single one. They were at least 50 of them. I had to sneak 50 kids out of this small town.

I could do it.

_4 minutes. Oh my god. 4 minutes. _I could almost hear the tick of the clock. The kids stopped short when they saw the bodies.

"Come on guys," I pleaded, "Just get through this room." I squeezed my eyes shut and ran across the room, ignoring the squish of flesh under my feet. I thought I was going to throw up. But this wasn't the time to get sick. I led them up the stairs, where the six other kids were safe.

"I can turn invisible," one little boy piped up. "So don't worry about me." He couldn't have been older than 5. He had the greenest eyes I had ever seen. If I ever had a son, I wanted him to look like this kid. He was the most beautiful child I had ever seen.

"I'll worry about you anyway," I told him truthfully. "We just need to get out of the city limits."

_3 minutes._

"We'll use our powers," one of them said, "We have good ones. We hate our powers, and we hate ourselves, but we'll use them anyway." It was a girl who couldn't have been younger than 12. Her hair was incredibly curly and she had olive skin. Her eyes flashed with bitterness. "I can run fast. So let me go first."

"We need to meet up somewhere though."

_2 minutes._

_ We have a problem, _Angel's voice popped up in my head. _The mayor got away. He's coming up the stairs behind you._

So many thoughts went through my head, I was overwhelmed. I got dizzy. We had about 5 seconds until the mayor faced us.

_He's outside the shed now, _Angel said.

_How? I didn't see him go past me, _I looked around. There was no way the mayor got past us. There were 50 of us.

_I think he has his own powers, _she replied. There was a tang of worry in her voice. _We don't have a chance to get the kids out of here. They'll have to wait until the mayor is dead._

_ 1 minute._

_ Are you guys out of there? _I hoped they were.

_On our way out, I think we will probably make it, _Angel didn't sound so sure. I knew there was no way we could be stealthy. I pushed the kids out of the shed, just in case the explosion reached here. There were now 50 kids in the middle of a cemetery. This was normal compared to everything else.

_30 seconds._

_ Are you guys out? _I was mentally freaking out.

_Not yet, we have two more staircases. _Angel was out of breath. She didn't think they would make it anymore.

_Who set the damn explosion? _I asked, praying to God, Buddha, Jesus, and every other religious figure I could think of.

_A stupid scientist had it detonate when he saw us, _Angel replied. Then there was a hint of a smile in her voice, _the scientists are locked up in the same room as the bomb._

I caught my breath. All those lives. All those people. They were going to die. I wondered what it would be like to watch a bomb tick. What would it be like to count down the seconds to your own death?

_Ang-_I began.

_Boom._


	34. Day Fifty Three

**Sorry I haven't updated! I've been so busy with finals and family and stuff! I finally just got inspiration for this! Review! This will probably be the second to last chapter…Enjoy(:**

I felt the earth tremble under my feet, and the smell of destruction filled the clear night. I fell on my knees, trying to collect my thoughts. They were dead. _Angel? _I screamed. _Angel, you can't leave me! I can't do this alone! _My shoulders shook but no tears fell. I didn't have any tears to cry. I stood up and dusted off my jeans. I turned to face the 56 children. I had to get them out of here. I could not let my own emotions ruin their chances of getting away.

I searched their dirty faces and I saw hope. I saw relief. Iggy was gone. Max was gone. But these children were still here. "I have an idea," I said, my voice almost getting lost in the breeze. I took a deep breath and tried to sound more confident, "We need a school bus."

The little boy who could turn invisible grabbed me hand and looked up at me with his green eyes, "I can help you get one. Lead me where I need to go."

"I'll lead you to freedom," I whispered to him, feeling his hand against mine. His hand was small and delicate, callused and sore. I imagined the horrific experiments he must have endured. His insides were probably mush after what the doctors had done to him.

The school was only half a mile away but it felt like miles. The little boy and I slinked into the shadows and crept down the road. Even though I couldn't see him, I felt his warm body against mine. This boy would probably grow up and cure cancer.

"What's your name?" I whispered, dying to know everything about him.

"I don't have one. They called me experiment 421," he replied, "I like to call myself James."

"Then James is your name," I assured him. I pressed my back until a building and checked around the corner. The buses were so close, yet they were behind a tall barbed wire fence. I would have to hop that. I didn't have any experience hopping fences. I glanced down at my ankle and hoped it wouldn't fail me now. I had been a cheerleader. I had done several sports. This couldn't be that different, right?

Wrong.

We approached the tall fence. The holes in the fence made it possible to climb, but it would be a long way to fall. I grabbed the fence and it shocked me. Why did they take such extreme measures to secure the buses? I had a feeling that this was the mayor's idea. He knew what we would do. That made me wary. We were probably just walking right into a trap. But we didn't have any other choice. This was our only chance.

I held my breath and grabbed the fence and climbed. Each shock sent paint through my body, but I could handle it. The voltage wasn't too high.

"Don't climb it," I told the little boy, wherever he was standing. I wish I could see him right now. I didn't want to lose him.

"Already did," James replied, on the other side of the fence. I couldn't help but smile. His voice wasn't frail anymore. He was growing with confidence. I swung my leg over the top of the fence and slowly started to crawl down. Then I heard the engine of a car. I let go of the fence and dropped to the ground. I landed with a bang, but I ignored the pain in my hip. I lay against the ground and waited for the car to pass.

I rolled onto my back and struggled to stand up. The town was aware that something was wrong. There would be no other reason why a car was out past eleven. I glanced at my watch. 12:11am. We had to get back to the kids. That just might be where the car was headed. I ran towards the nearest bus and broke open its door.

I sat in the driver's seat, and stared at the steering wheel. Iggy had once told me how to hot wire a car, but I barely remembered. I closed my eyes and remembered his soothing voice. I leaned under the steering wheel and found the blue wire. I held my breath and I continued to wrap and break wires. I could be doing this all wrong. The engine didn't start. I looked at all of the wires, trying to figure out what I had missed. I started to breathe heavily and I checked every wire. They were exactly how they were supposed to be. Why wasn't it working?

"You missed a wire," James pointed out and grabbed a black wire that I had not seen. I randomly stuck it somewhere, hoping it was right. The school bus roared to life. I let out a sigh of relief. I grabbed the steering wheel and put the bus in reverse. I had never driven a bus before. I didn't drive at all. This couldn't be _that _hard.

I hit a mailbox, ran down a stop sign and couldn't find the brake. As he drove, James wrapped his little arm around me and watched out the windshield.

"I don't know where I belong," he whispered into my ear. I could see him now. His blonde curls gleamed in the moonlight, and his skin was whiter than any white that had ever existed. "Where do I go when I am free?"

"You can go anywhere you want," I replied. I hadn't even thought about where I would go. Where could I start fresh? I had no money. I had no clothes. I didn't have a family to go to. I had nowhere to go either. "You can come with me."

"Will you be my mommy?" he asked. The question caught me off-guard. He wanted a family. He reached out and stroked my cheek, "I have never had anyone care about me before." The words were so fragile, I felt them break. I wanted to just drive past the cemetery and just leave with James and never look back.

I pulled in front of the cemetery where all the children were huddled. They had found graves to hide behind. They were almost impossible to see. They all stood up when I arrived and scurried onto the bus. They didn't ask questions. They didn't say a word. They took a seat and impatiently waited for freedom. Their eyes were full of excitement. No words could describe how they felt.

Where would these children go? How would they survive in the cruel world? I pushed the worries away and drove towards the edge of town. As soon as we reached city limits, I knew we would safe. None of the townspeople ever left. James never let go of me as I drove towards the beginning of a new life.

I didn't think about how the mayor was still alive.

I didn't think of what would become of the town.

I didn't think of the life I was leaving behind.

"I think we should go to the ocean," I told James as we roared down the main road. "It's big and beautiful. We'll buy a boat and just sail. Okay?"

"Okay," he smiled at me, his eyes gleaming.

"We're almost there," I yelled out.

But we didn't make it that far.

Something appeared in front of the bus. It came out of nowhere. I didn't know what it was, but I slammed on my breaks. It was like a wall of blackness. We hit it with a bang, and the windshield shattered. The bus flipped over itself and began to roll. No one was wearing seatbelts. I wrapped my arms around James and kept my head down as the bus rolled. I felt all my bones breaking and glass cutting my skin.

The bus stopped rolling when it hit another large object. I couldn't move. I opened my eyes and saw nothing but darkness. "James?" I whispered, realizing my arms were empty. I wasn't even inside the bus anymore. I was lying alone in the middle of the road. My eyes adjusted and the moon showed the most horrific scene I had ever seen. The bus was upside down, and bodies were strewn everywhere. It was so compacted, it looked like a pancake. "James?" I called louder, but my voice cracked. I tried to crawl but I screamed in pain. Every bone in my body had been broken.

Were they all dead?

A figure stood before me. I knew who it was without even looking. The mayor had done this. He had killed the children. He was going to kill me, just like he had killed Iggy. I glanced up at the mayor, tears blurring my vision. He held a knife in his hand, and he was smirking. "You thought you could win? You thought you could escape me? I am _everywhere." _He let out a malicious laugh, "I'm not going to kill you, I'm going to kill your will to live."

I shuddered. I watched as he walked towards the bus and grabbed the smallest body. The body let out a yelp. _James. _I tried to move, but I was helpless. I started screaming. He couldn't do this! The mayor threw James to the ground and he landed with a thump. The mayor grabbed James's arm and snapped it. I heard the bone crack and James started to wail with me.

"MOMMY!" James yelled at the top of his lungs.

"I'm here!" I tried to assure him, but the words were inaudible. James would die alone. Something touched my back and I winced at the pain.

"We're okay," Iggy's voice whispered in my ear. I felt his warm breath against my neck. "We're getting out of here. Max will take care of the mayor."

"We have to save the boy first," I argued. I was overjoyed by the reappearance of Iggy, but my heart could not feel joy. It could only feel loss for James.

"No, you're our first priority," Iggy countered and wrapped me in his arms.

"DON'T YOU DARE TAKE OFF," I fought him even though I was too weak. "I have to save James! PLEASE! What if that was Angel?" I challenged. Iggy hesitated. "That could be Angel down there! James is about to die because of me! They're ALL dead because of me!" I choked the sobs out. The mayor was unaware of Iggy's presence.

Iggy shook his head, "I'm sorry but if we try to save James, we all die. We have a plan." He pushed us off of the ground and I felt the cold breeze against my face. But not even the wind in my ears could cover the sound of a knife cutting into the screaming James.

Silence.

No more crying. No more crying.

Silence had never been so loud.


End file.
